Business
FG Recommits To Industrial Sector Dev
The Federal Government has restated its commitment to fully implementing workable policies and programmes to provide required skills and competencies for the development of the industrial sector.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelama re-affirmed government’s commitment at the just conduced 23rd Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja.
Enelama ,who was one of the discussants on the topic; “Skills, Competences and Capacity That The Industries Need to Move Forward’’, said government was also ready to solve the issues of unemployment through the development of right skills and competencies.
“I agree with you, government is ready to solve the issues of unemployment and improve the productivity of the people, this problem is too important to just talk about it, government is ready.
“If we are not ready, you must insist that we are ready, we don’t actually have a choice, we have a responsibility to the people.’’
He said that real challenge was the issue of partnership with the relevant organisations required to help bridge the skills gap in the industrial sector.
“I think the real challenge is the challenge of partnership, its the challenge of collaboration, it is the challenge of putting together in a way that we get result, is the challenge of humility to some degree.
“Because, even if we consider an idea, let us get on with it and see if it works, because I am totally ready to try all ideas that are productive and progressive because the problem we are dealing with is extremely important to solve.’’
He said that government was focusing on creating the enabling environment for businesses to thrive, adding that there was the need to fight corruption.
“One of the major things to stop is corruption, because it is what makes the economy not work, and the other thing is to create stability, which is the whole key for business to thrive and for our people to do well.
“We have taken that view as a ministry to focus on creating enabling environment, and the government has prioritised that by creating an executive order for business to thrive.
“That is our number one priority, while we have launched it, we are challenging the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the private sector to enable it work.’’
The minister said that government had also launched an industrial council designed to ensure that MDAs and the private sector work together to deal with the most stubborn problems hindering industrial growth in the country.
He said that members of the industrial council were also working on how best to develop infrastructure and policies for skills development.
Other mandate of the council according to him was to also evolve workable measures of deepening internal and external trade and finance.
Mr Rotimi Balogun of the General Electric said it was absolutely necessary to develop technical, vocational and critical thinking skills to solve complex problem in the country.
“If we are graduating engineers, the kind of skills they come out with is quite different from the skills needed in the future.
”The kind of skills they need is digital skills that will make them get employment to companies like General Electric.
”In terms of entrepreneurial skills, It is important that we create the type of skills that will ensure a local supply chain in the industrial sector.
He said it was very necessary to also have standardised curriculum in our educational sector.
“It is important to also teach people not just how you can use money to start business, but you can teach business through stimulation, virtual process, how you can train people through online platforms to make sure that you improve their entrepreneurial skills.’’
The Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Nigeria, Mrs Onyeche Tifase said it was necessary to collaborate with other technological driven nations to develop the right skills required for industrialisation.
“What is key is collaboration, how the British and the Chinese got to where they are, it is through collaboration.
”The bold skill everyone has to have is digital awareness, irrespective of your profession and it is important all government agencies become digitised.
“”If you are engaging with a private counterpart and he is already digitised and you are not, it is very difficult to collaborate.’’
She said that Siemens had begun training for school children to equip them with skills required for technological advancement.
”The training entailed teaching the children how to create solution from very simple tools and devices to create answers for technology across health care environment and power sectors.
”So you see, where a small child is creating a turbine from a very simple battery and understanding how mechanical energy works., this is what we want to see roll over the country.
”Beyond secondary level, we are also looking at vocational training programmes that have to do with heory and practical and that are how we can cause reduction in unemployment.
”For us to create more of those skills, we need to have industries that will absolve these skills, so that the trainees can innovate and replicate the skills.
”We have a training centre where we are training about 14,000 graduates every year and the programme runs for three and half years.
”The training involves the skills of the future, like coding, digitisation, machine to machine learning and the students they have projects where they have built their own device,’’ she said.
She advised government at all levels to develop infrastructure more and industrialise to encourage the inflow of skills development into country.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with a firm, Sweetcrude Ltd., has announced detailed selection criteria for the inaugural “Champions of Nigerian Content Awards”, designed to honor outstanding contributions to local content development in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
The Tide learnt that the event, scheduled to hold 21st May, 2025, at the NCDMB’S content tower headquarters in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, will recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to advancing Nigerian Content in 2024.
The Tide further gathered that the ceremony will coincide with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair (NOGOF), which promises to spotlighting industry excellence and contributions to national economic transformation.
A statement by the Board’s Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination says the event has 12 Award Categories, which include, “Nigerian Content Icon of the Year”, “Nigerian Content Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Nigerian Content International Upstream Operator of the year”, and the “Nigerian Content Independent Upstream Operator of the year”.
Others are, “Nigerian Content Midstream Operator of the year”, “Nigerian Content Downstream Operator of the year”, “Nigerian Content International Service Company of the year”, Nigerian Content Indigenous Service Company of the year”, and the “Nigerian Content Innovator of the year”.
Also included are, “Nigerian Content Financial Services Provider of the year”, “Nigerian Content Media Organization of the year”, and “Women in Leadership Award for Promoting Gender Equality and Empowerment”.
According to the NCDMB, the criteria for oil and gas operators will include key and empirical benchmarks such as Production output for crude oil and gas volumes, Compliance with Nigerian Content Plans (NCPs) and Nigerian Content Compliance Certificates (NCCCs).
Other criteria are adherence to NOGICD Act reporting requirements, such as submission of Nigerian Content Performance Reports and Employment & Training Plans.
The Board’s statement added that similar criteria will apply to financial institutions, media organizations, and individuals, ensuring a transparent and merit-based selection process.
“Winners for the Nigerian Content Icon of the Year, Innovator of the Year, and Women in Leadership Award will also be selected based on measurable performance indicators.
“The Advisory Committee of Industry Titans will Oversee the process to uphold the prestige of awards. The Committee consist of distinguished experts set up to oversee nominations and validate winners”, the NCDMB said.
Members of the committee, according to the Board, include: Pioneer Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Dr. Ernest Nwapa; Secretary-General, African Petroleum Producers Organization, Dr. Omar Farouk; and former Zonal Operations Controller, DPR, Mr. Woke Akinyosoye.
The Statement quoted the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, as emphasizing that the awards aim to becoming the oil and gas sector’s equivalent of the Oscars, celebrating genuine impact rather than mere participation.
“This recognition is reserved for those who have gone beyond compliance to drive tangible growth in Nigerian Content.
“With a focus on credibility, compliance, and measurable impact, the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards is poised to set a new standard for excellence in Nigeria’s energy sector”, the NCDMB Executive Scribe said.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Nigeria’s apex Banking institution, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has declared that Federal Government’s debt servicing increased to N696billion in January 2025.
The CBN’s recently published Economic Report revealed a precarious fiscal position, which worsened in January 2025 as debt servicing obligations exceeded total retained revenue by a wide margin.
According to the report, the Federal Government’s debt servicing obligations for the month stood at N696.27bn, while total retained revenue amounted to only N483.47bn, indicating that debt service alone consumed about 144 per cent of all government earnings.
This development highlights the growing debt burden and dwindling fiscal space facing Africa’s largest economy.
According to the report, despite slight improvements in some revenue categories, the retained earnings were grossly inadequate to cover obligatory debt repayments, exposing the government’s continued reliance on borrowing to meet basic obligations.
The report further revealed that retained revenue in January 2025 only recorded a marginal 0.89 per cent increase when compared with the N479.21bn generated in the corresponding month of 2024.
”FGN retained revenue declined in the review period, owing largely to lower receipts from Federal Government Independent Revenue and FGN’s share of exchange gain.
“At N0.48tn, provisional FGN retained revenue was 69.19 and 70.40 per cent below the levels recorded in the preceding period and monthly target, respectively”, it revealed.
While this points to stagnation rather than growth, the marginal rise was wiped out by the overwhelming debt service obligations.
The retained revenue components showed that the Federation Account contributed N167.69bn, while the VAT Pool Account delivered N90.73bn.
By: Corlins Walter
The Federal Government has announced plans to commence the payment of the outstanding N35,000 wage award arrears owed workers in the Federal Civil Service.
A statement issued by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), which was signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, said the outstanding arrears will be paid in instalments, with workers set to receive N35,000 per month for five months.
It clarified that the first tranche of the wage award arrears would be released immediately after the April salary payment.
“The wage award arrears was not paid with the April 2025 salary; it will come immediately after the salary is paid”, the statement read.
The Federal Government had earlier disbursed wage awards to federal workers for five months as part of efforts to cushion the impact of economic reforms. However, five months’ arrears remained unpaid.
The AGF office further reiterated the government’s commitment to fully implementing all policies and agreements relating to staff remuneration and welfare, noting that such efforts were geared towards enhancing productivity and operational efficiency across ministries, departments, and agencies.
The N35,000 wage award was introduced in 2023 as a palliative measure to support workers following the removal of the petrol subsidy and other economic adjustments.
In January this year, the Federal Government assured workers that it would clear the arrears of the N35,000 wage award, just as it also said the government had resumed the payment of the wage award.
The government also reiterated its commitment to addressing issues in the National Minimum Wage agreement reached with the Organised Labour in 2023.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, had disclosed the government’s commitment towards implementing agreements with trade unions during separate meetings with the leadership of the Trade Union Congress and Congress of University Academics, in Abuja.
The Nigeria Labour Congress had criticised the Federal Government over the delay in the payment of the minimum wage for certain workers in the federal civil service.
Also, the Federal Government had earlier blamed the delay in payment on the prolonged approval of the 2025 budget.
By: Corlins Walter
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