The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said the painful structural reforms Nigeria is presently passing through are necessary for the socio-economic rebirth of the nation.
He explained that the hike in the price of petrol was influenced by the need to reposition the economy into a productive one that can foster national prosperity.
The ministerc who disclosed this during a working visit to the South East regional office of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NISTF) in Enugu State, assured that tough times would soon be over.
“The federal government is not unaware of the hard times Nigerians are passing through at the moment as a result of the re-structuring of the economy. The president is genuinely concerned and personally feels the pains too. But this is a necessary phase we must all endure for the restoration of better days,” Ngige said.
The minister who is on the second lap of his re-awakening visit to the regional offices of the NSITF, said for the agency to fulfill its constitutional role of uplifting the welfare of Nigerian workers, it must be alive to its responsibilities.
He decried the obscure location, poor working environment and lack of necessary working tools at the Enugu zonal office and directed the acting managing director of NSITF, Ismail Agaka, to immediately take necessary action to relocate the regional office while requesting the immediate installation of a diesel power generating set for the office.
“Nobody, no company will be willing to come to this obscure and over-crowded office to register and pay social insurance bills for its workers. You need to first of all show seriousness by repositioning your office so as to engender trust and respect. You need to also advertise your services, create awareness so as to let job providers as well as workers understand the role of the NSITF___ and the immense benefits of its services,” Ngige said.
