One of the ministerial nominees and Publisher of Blueprint Newspapers, Alhaji Mohammed Idris Malagi, declared in Abuja, Wednesday, that a vibrant private sector is key to job creation in Nigeria.
The minister-designate, who stated this while facing the Senate for screening and confirmation as requested for, by President Bola Tinubu, also advised the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to make required follow ups, on licences issued to prospective broadcast media owners in the country.
Specifically in his response to question on how the private sector can help government in solving the problem of unemployment in the country, he said the required enabling environment must be provided for key players in the sector for job creation and employment opportunities.
He posited that part of the N1trillion savings made from fuel subsidy withdrawal in the last two months be plucked into the private sector for job creation and wealth generation.
He said: “We should encourage participation by the private sector, only in so doing, that opportunities can be created so that some of our youth that are out there, would be gainfully engaged.
“The private sector people have to be encouraged to employ people, and the only way that can be done is by creating an innovative environment for the private sector to thrive.
“There is no way that the government will continue to employ people – I think the era of thinking that the government is the employer of all members of Nigeria and the public – is over.
“And if you look at the policies that President Bola Tinubu has already formulated; facts on ground indicate that about a trillion Naira that has been saved, is going to pluck back into the economy through private sector participation, and this will in turn stimulate private sector growth.”
On licences issued by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to prospective broadcast media owners, the media guru admonished the regulatory agency to make required follow ups on the licences on whether they are actually used to set up broadcast stations or not.
“Today, there are over a thousand licenses that are issued. And many of the people that get these licenses are politicians like us.
“You get these licences and you put them in your bag and you buy and lock it up somewhere in your house. How does that help your information dissemination? Why did you get that licence in the first place?
“Only 50% or even less of all the licenses granted by the federal government are actually in operation today; only less than 50%. So, I think that there should be some regulation.
“Tighter regulation, to ensure that you must first be a practitioner or a genuine investor in the media industry before such licences are granted,” he said.
Malagi during his 40 minutes appearance before the Senate for the screening, dazzled senators with his submissions on all questions asked.
Apparently impressed with his submissions, Senator Aliyu Wadada (SDP Nasarawa West) said: “The man before us is a round peg, waiting to be fixed into round hole.
“He is a great contributor to the education and enlightenment of the citizenry. He is a private sector player, contributed immensely to the socio – economic development of Nigeria.
“He has the competence to serve in whatever capacities that would be assigned to him when confirmed as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and member of the Federal Executive Council,” he said.
Aside Malagi, other nominees screened by the Senate on Wednesday were Mr Dele Alake from Ekiti State, Lateef Fagbemi from Kwara state, Professor Ali Pate from Bauchi state and Dr Doris Uzoka from Imo state.
