The new Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi has assured that the Federal Government would address all outstanding labour matters to sustain the existing industrial harmony in the country.
Dingyadi, gave this assurance, Tuesday in his maiden address to the management and staff of the Ministry.
The Minister also reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the welfare, well-being and happiness of all Nigerian workers, both in the public and the private sectors.
He expressed the readiness of the Ministry to carry everybody along, to ensure that workers support and contribute to the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the present administration.
According to him, what is important is for the Ministry to listen to all labour organisations, and to address all labour issues, so that together, efforts would be made to resolve all outstanding issues.
Dingyadi said: “I am aware that quite a number of issues are still outstanding. We have been having some threats, very soft threats, but we are going to address them to ensure that we nip everything in the bud.
“The major schedule of this Ministry is to ensure harmonious working relationships between workers and employers of labour – government and private organisations. From what I have seen here, I believe that we are equal to the task, and the Minister of State has already told me that we have so far achieved relative peace since the commencement of this administration.
“I want to assure Nigerians that we are going to continue to ensure that peace is maintained in every nook and cranny of this country as far as labour matters are concerned.”
While thanking the Ministry for the warm reception accorded to him on assumption of office, Dingyadi assured the management and staff of his readiness to cooperate with them, and solicited their support and cooperation for them to move the Ministry to greater heights.
“Like the Minister of State said, we have some targets to achieve, and I want to appeal to everybody here to assist us in ensuring that we achieve these objectives. They are not that difficult. You have done it before and I am confident that we are going to do it today and tomorrow by the grace of God.”
He implored the members of staff of the Ministry to always abide by the rules and regulations of the Civil Service in order to deliver maximum and effective service to the nation.
The Minister urged them to adopt punctuality, hard work and discipline as guiding ethics in the discharge of their functions, so as to achieve the objectives set for them.
Dingyadi commended the Minister of State for her dedicated service to the nation, and the notable strides she had made in the Ministry and the Labour sector.
Earlier, while welcoming the new Minister, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, assured him of the cooperation of the management and staff in achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President, with the new Labour Ministry moving beyond conciliation of labour disputes to productivity, employment and empowerment, where the nation will key into most of the deliverables of the Agenda.
She noted that “the Ministry has developed an initiative, Labour Employment, Empowerment Programme (LEEP), as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of this administration to create at least 2.5 million jobs for the women and the youth. The programme will be formally launch by the President anytime from now.”
