The Supervising Minister of National Planning, Bashir Yuguda, has called for strategic collaboration between the Federal and State governments towards initiating appropriate policies and programmes for job creation and ensuring equality income distribution.
Yuguda made this call weekend 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.
The minister also noted that the Government’s effort towards addressing unemployment is focusing on multiple strategies including substantial investment in technical and vocational education as well as improving the business environment.
He said further: “ 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”.
The Minister also noted that significant employment is not created by large companies, but by numerous small and medium sized enterprises.
Yuguda who stated that Federal Government programmes aimed at improving the business environment are 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.
He stated that: “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 is now ranked 26th in the world and the largest economy in Africa, especially after the re basing of its GDP, emphasising that macroeconomic stability has been sustained
Yuguda also pointed out that the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda has facilitated the provision of subsidised inputs to farmers via the e-Wallet programme while 1.1 Million metric tonnes of dry season rice was produced in 10 Northern State in 2013.
He acknowledged that Nigeria has for over a decade recorded accelerated GDP growth driven mainly by agriculture, trade, telecommunications and building and construction.
Also, he described the theme of the meeting which is “National Strategic Planning for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development: Fostering Job Creation and Equity” as aptly reflecting Nigeria’s collective aspiration to ensure that policies, project and programmes implemented lead to significant improvement in the standard of living of the populace and that Nigeria at the sub-national level benefit from the fast growing economy which is consistent with the aspirations of the Federal Government’s Transformation Agenda and Nigeria’s vision 20:2020.
