the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday, formally declared his intention to contest for the position of President, saying he has a burning desire to see a prosperous, united and equitable Nigeria.
Ngige, who unveiled his presidential ambition before a mammoth crowd at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Alor, Idemili South local government area of Anambra State, is seeking the ticket of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, as its Presidential candidate.
Addressing the crowd, comprising APC faithful and other supporters, the former Anambra State Governor said having served 40 years in the public service, he was fully equipped as an administrator, with huge wealth of experience, capacity and energy as well as a large heart to accommodate the differences among Nigerians.
Ngige who recounted his numerous achievements as a former governor, ex- Senator and two-time minister, described himself as the “Jack of all trades and master of all” that Nigeria needs now.
He thanked the President for the opportunity offered him to serve as a minister, which he said broadened his knowledge of the various ministries, departments and agencies; being a member of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the conciliator of disputes between employers and employees in the various arms of government and the private sector.
According to him, his stewardship in the difficult and complex Ministry of Labour as the chief conciliator, enriched his knowledge of the problems of workers, the difficulty the industrialists and entrepreneurs face, why industries close down, and why some run far below their installed capacity and in turn employ less hands.
He said, “I also know the unproductive areas and the areas of waste in the public service. I see the energy in labour which has not been properly harnessed. I have seen the low hanging fruits in agriculture, the handicaps, the factors that militate against job creation, which is one of the mandates of my ministry, especially the inter-ministerial and inter agencies cooperation that is missing. I have seen our burgeoning population without a corresponding advantage in terms of improvement in GDP.”
He said under his watch, the Labour Ministry has conciliated 1683 industrial disputes in the last seven years, 95 percent done successfully in the ministry and its agency, the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP), while only about three percent of the disputes went up to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, NICN.
The minister said they took labour administration to a higher level in the international arena, where their labour diplomacy brought Nigeria back to the Governing Board (GB) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) after ten years in absence.
He explained that Nigeria came in first as deputy (titular) 2017, and now full regular member of the GB, having also been elected as the Chairperson of the Government Group, where he presided over the affairs of 187 countries of the ILO between 2019 to 2020.
“My dear friends, colleagues and comrades, many would wonder that after serving seven years as Minister in one of the most difficult ministries of government, in a polity riddled with rising unemployment, bickering and economic disputes between workers and employers, in a famished economy, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige would have asked for a deserved rest.
“Yes, a deserved rest would have been okay for me as a person but the zeal, the burning desire in me to see a prosperous, united and equitable Nigeria, where no man is oppressed, where there is no chasm between the haves and have not, would not allow me to go home and rest.”
“Today, as I sit back to ruminate on the state of our country, I find a country led by a patriot, good hearted leader, Muhammadu Buhari, though greatly misunderstood especially in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. Permit me to say that I want to get the nomination of our party and to stand on its manifesto to actualize and execute the programmes of the APC.
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