The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, clarified on Thursday that his ministry is not responsible for providing jobs to Nigerians, stating that such expectations would lead to disappointment.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in Abuja, he underscored that the ministry’s role is to create an enabling environment for employment rather than directly securing jobs for individuals.
“You will agree with me that the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment is never to give employment to people,” he said.
Dingyadi explained that while the ministry remains aware of Nigeria’s significant youth population and the necessity of gainful engagement, job creation is aligned with the broader framework of the “Renewed Hope Agenda.” He added, “It is at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly as it relates to job creation, sustained and inclusive investment, as well as the promotion of enhanced productivity for improved service delivery.”
The minister further noted, “As you are aware, the ministry is not there to provide employment, because the former minister of youths and sports (Sunday Dare), before he left, was asking me to give him jobs. I said we only create the environment for jobs. We don’t give jobs.”
Dingyadi also highlighted the government’s commitment to economic recovery and transformation under President Bola Tinubu, citing recent achievements like the negotiation of a new minimum wage and investments in human capital, infrastructure, and institutional reforms. “Mr President is poised and committed to providing the requisite leadership and driving initiatives geared towards Nigeria’s economic recovery and transformation,” he stated.
On the same occasion, Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, urged Nigerians to maintain faith in Tinubu’s administration despite current economic hardships. Dare acknowledged that economic reforms come with challenges but assured that progress is being made.
“My job and that of the presidential media team is to try and win Nigerians over to understand why this is taking place,” he said. “We are in the process of reforms covering several sectors, driven largely by the eight-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu. He is a President who has chosen the road less travelled.”
Dare added that Tinubu remains mindful of the populace’s struggles and is diligently working on solutions. “We also have a President who believes failure to take one stitch now will mean we are going to take nine stitches down the road. But I believe one stitch now is better,” he concluded.
The President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku, also addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of Nigeria’s global reputation. He stressed that a country with a poor reputation would struggle to attract significant investments.
“Public Relations builds and promotes reputation. And we are saying that we must take the reputation of our nation seriously,” Neliaku stated. “It is only when your reputation is high that you can get investors to come in and invest in the economy. If your economy does not have respect for the way things ought to be done, nobody will invest in such an economy.”
