Ensure decent, well-paid jobs under LEEP — ILO, Labour unions urge FG

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and organised labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), have called on the federal government to ensure that jobs created under its Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP) are decent, sustainable, and offer wages above the new minimum wage of N70,000.

Speaking at the official unveiling and launch of LEEP by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday at the Aso Villa, the workers’ bodies maintained that meaningful employment is the “best way” to address the rising surge in social vices, including banditry, insurgency, and kidnappings.

The Country Director of the ILO office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, Dr Vanessa Phala, noted that leadership involves envisioning initiatives like LEEP and assembling the necessary team and resources to bring them to fruition.

Phala, however, emphasised the need for the federal government to ensure that the jobs created under LEEP are not only decent but also offer wages above the new minimum wage of N70,000, which remains elusive across much of the country.

“The objective is very important in terms of establishing and creating 2.5 million jobs, and I want to really emphasise the need to ensure that all those jobs are decent and, in the context of Nigeria, to make sure that none of those job holders will be paid below the minimum wage.

“This is not just a launch; it is a commitment to transformation, to transforming lives, unlocking potential, and reshaping the future of work in Nigeria. It really marks the beginning of real opportunities where our youth, especially young people seeking employment, will be able to have sustainable livelihoods and contribute meaningfully to the growth and economic development of their societies.”

Speaking on behalf of organised labour, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, cautioned the government against using LEEP as a platform to create casual jobs with meagre wages that fail to meet workers’ needs.

He said, “I pray that it will be a programme that will bring sustainable jobs, not casual jobs, not jobs where the wages will not be able to take workers home.

“I think at every point in time, we need to be involved in what is happening to us because we know where it is pinching us.

“Programmes without the input of the workers are not the best. And I wish to advise all policy formulators to coordinate with the implementers of such policies so that we will have a level playing ground and end successfully on such programmes.”

Ajaero urged state governors to replicate the job initiative in their respective states, while noting that labour would continue to dialogue and engage with the government to ensure a sustainable and conducive working environment for Nigerian workers.

The Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mr Silas Agara, acknowledged that unemployment is a global phenomenon but noted that the federal government is tackling the challenge using various strategies and models.

Agara stated that all agencies under the Ministry of Labour and Employment are committed to fostering decent jobs, promoting economic growth, creating wealth, and reducing poverty. He further pledged their commitment to actualising the Renewed Employment Agenda of President Tinubu’s administration through skills and employability training.

He said, “I call on all stakeholders—public, private, and multilateral—to partner with the Ministry under the LEEP umbrella. Let us pool resources, share intelligence, and unlock opportunities across communities and sectors. Let us do this not for ourselves but for the millions of Nigerians who deserve meaningful and decent jobs.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE