Guardian

IN what may be a step towards solving the lingering unemployment crisis identified in the country, the Federal Government has unfolded seven key sectors of the economy that could jumpstart and stimulate job opportunities.

The government reiterated that it was aware about the high rate of unemployment in the country, but admitted that these key sectors were already having positive impacts on unemployment reduction.

The sectors listed by the government are agriculture; information communication telecommunication; works and housing; petroleum/oil and gas; power and energy; solid minerals; transport; trade and investments; and manufacturing/ industry.

Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, who made this disclosure at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce’s breakfast seminar in Lagos over the weekend, said government was not folding its hands, but working assiduously at creating job opportunities, to reduce the unemployment crisis in the country.

According to him, it was not government’s responsibility to create jobs for Nigerians, pointing out that the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration has taken a proactive approach on this matter by drafting in the private sector to spearhead and stimulate job creation in the identified key sectors of the economy, while government would only ensure that there is conducive business environment for them to operate smoothly.

Wogu noted that the approach was already achieving positive results in the sectors in terms of reducing unemployment in the country.

For instance, the minister said that agricultural sector has been the biggest transformation as a roadmap to job creation in recent time, stressing that the sector has employed and created about 1.5 million jobs for Nigerians.

According to him, agricultural sector was strategic to the administration’s master plan as a sector to stimulate employment, adding that agricultural is now a key sector employing various people from different disciplines.

He noted that the sector has been transformed in line with global best practices especially it is now a merchandise and highly rewarding sector, which is been driven by private sector initiative.

He pointed out that the present Minister of Agricultural, Dr. Shina Akinwunmi has brought in his vast experience into the administration by overhauling the sector and made it the number one greatest employer of labour force in Nigeria.

“Job creation lies within the private sector and government responsibility is to create conducive business environment for private sector to thrive and that will stimulate employment in the country,” he said.

Speaking on the ICT, Wogu explained that telecommunication sector presently has been one of the key sectors designed for job creation, adding that the privatisation of the sector and the coming on board of different private telecommunication companies has opened up job opportunities for Nigerians.

On Works and Housing sector, the minister said that the sector too has really performed to the expectation of the government’s plan, adding that various key road projects being constructed throughout the federation was part of the master plan to reduce unemployment in the country.

For the Manufacturing and Industry sector, Wogu noted that the sector has become a hub for job creation, pointing out that Dangote Group of companies have been the biggest employer of workforce in the country, even more than the government parastatals.

According to him, Dangote companies has just concluded plans to build the biggest private refinery in the country with the highest barrel of oil per day, when completed, Wogu said that the refinery would further open up job opportunities for Nigerians.

The minister however recounted that it has not been easy tackling the salient unemployment crisis in the country, admitting that the Federal Executive Council has been at the vanguard of stimulating job creation especially in key ministries as a way to reduce unemployment.