The Kebbi State Governor, Senator Atiku Bagudu has extolled the leading roles the civil servants and the private sector are playing in ensuring the socio-economic development of the State.
Governor Bagudu spoke in Birnin Kebbi at the celebration of the World Day for Decent Work, with a theme: “Just Job.”
In a statement by Bagudu’s Special Adviser on Media, Yahaya Sarki, the Governor congratulated the labour leaders and the entire civil servants of the state for successfully celebrating the day.
The Governor described the theme as apt and timely, saying that, it cannot come at a better time than now when both public and private sectors’ jobs are very scarce.
“The private sector is increasingly playing crucial roles in providing job opportunities to the populace in the state .
”Decent jobs, just jobs, might mean different things to different people, but it is important to appreciate how the job market is constantly changing.”
Governor Bagudu recalled with nostalgia when jobs are are easily available for even Secondary school leavers.
“From when you have a job immediately you finished secondary school, to now when nobody is sure of a job even with higher degrees,” the Kebbi governor, added .
He stated that, the evolutions of the job market was a vivid reminder to how the market is changing .
He also spoke of technology which has seriously impacted on the fast changing job market .
This, Bagudu entails hiring of workers , training and retraining, as well as other economic spheres like banking and other forms of commerce and trading .
According to Bagudu, the development has also affected general governance and service delivery , even as he cited the zoom technology which was unheard of before the advent of COVID-19.
The State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC), Comrade Umar Halidu Hassan said that , the global event was crucial to the welfare and development of workers.
The Chairman lauded the Bagudu administration for stabilising power supply, saying, “it’s an underlying factor of production.”
He also commended the private sector for providing more job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.
He commeded the Governor that in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, no worker has lost his job and the governor has continued to pay salaries and other emoluments regularly.
In his remark, the Acting Head of Service, Safiyanu Garba Bena, lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic and economic meltdown have impacted negatively on workers both in the formal and informal sectors.
According to him , it was estimated that close to 200 million jobs have been lost to COVID-19 pandemic and another 100 million still stand the risk.
“Jobs are Central to Economic and Social recovery and to building the needed alliances to deal with the pandemic.
“Workers must therefore rededicate themselves to their jobs in order to help in repositioning Government.”
He explained that this year’s celebration which is “Just Jobs” is timely.
He said ‘Just Jobs’ does not only, but also connotes to placement but discharging the responsibilities attached to that job diligently, efficiently and effectively.
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