Musa Adamu
The Supervising Minister of National Planning, Amb. Bashir Yuguda, has called for strategic collaboration between the federal and state governments in initiating appropriate policies and programmes for job creation and ensuring equality income distribution.
He made this call in Bauchi at the meeting of the National Council on Development Planning (NCDP), which he presided over with states’ Commissioners of Planning/Chairmen of Planning Agencies as members.
He also noted that the government’s effort towards addressing unemployment was focusing on multiple strategies including substantial investment in technical and vocational education as well as improving the business environment.
“It is clear that the task of ensuring inclusive growth, job creation and equity is a very enormous one. We need to jointly initiate appropriate policy towards creating job employment for the teeming Nigerian Youth and ensuring a quality in income distribution.
“There is the need for cooperation among all tiers of government in order to achieve our desired vision,” he said.
The minister also noted that significant employment was not created by large companies, but by numerous small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Yuguda, who stated that federal government programmes aimed at improving the business environment were already paying off with a total of 1.6 Million net new jobs created in 2013, however, admitted that several challenges still remain especially in reducing high rate of unemployment among the youth, tackling income inequality in the country as well as insecurity in the North.
“it is reassuring to note that the federal government is closely working with state governments in addressing the new security challenges, building and strengthening Institutions, as well as blocking leakages and loopholes for greater transparency in the conduct of Government businesses.”
In the area of strategic planning, he said that significant achievements had been made in implementation of strategic plan in the last three years in particular, stressing that Nigeria was now ranked 26th in the world and the largest economy in Africa, especially after the re basing of its GDP.