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By Bimbola Oyesola
Job creation and provision of all facilities to enhance workers’ productivity have been identified as the major solution to prevalent insecurity in Nigeria.
The National Union of Shops and Distributive Employees (NUSDE) at its fifth quadrennial and 13th national delegates’ conference in Asaba, Delta State, last week, affirmed that the success of the Nigeria National Development Plan, 2021-2025, was predicated on provision of employment for the nation’s youth.
President of the union, Innocent Jaja, who was re-elected for a second term of four years at the conference, noted that the aim of the development plan, among others, was to make sufficient provisions for Nigerians in various areas such as jobs, health, security, infrastructures and others.
He, however, affirmed that job creation/provision was the greatest facilitator of all other indices of the development plan.
“When jobs are available to the teeming population of our youths leaving our schools every year, social vices/crimes will be reduced to the barest minimum, health and security situations will improve and economy will become healthy as well,” he said.
He reasoned that the setting of short, medium or long term development plan is an important aspect of governance at all the three levels of the Federal, State and Local Government.
According to the NUSDE president, this serves as a mirror/yardstick with which the performances of the government ministries, departments and agencies are evaluated.
“It is the road map or a course of actions that must be followed by all the subsystems within the system of governance,” he said.
He reasoned that, for Nigeria to provide ingredients for the economy to grow, the contributions of the shop and distributive sector cannot be overemphasised.
He said, “In fact, it can be said that the sector is the primary driver of the economy. Shop and distributive sector is no doubt the largest employer of labour and contributor to the gross domestic product of the country.
“This being so, it is of urgent importance that the Federal Government focuses attention on this sector and does all that is necessary to ensure the viability of the business by formulating the necessary sector-based policies in order to avoid the collapse of the sector.”
Jaja stressed the beed for govetnment to remember that the first generation of retail stores like Kingsway, Leventis, UTC and others collapsed due to neglect and lack of sustainable policies.
In the same vein, immediate past president of the union, Kelly Ogbaloi, said that, for the sector to contribute meaningfully to the economy, both employers and workers in the industry have roles to play.
He said, “Employers must ensure that workers are duly compensated and well trained. Casualization of workforce has greatly impacted negatively on the purchasing power of workers. But when workers’ earnings are good, their purchasing power will increase and it will boost the economy.
“The same goes for the workers; there should be a cordial relationship with the employers. They must create a conducive environment for business to thrive. It may not be easy with the infrastructural challenges, but when employers and workers play their roles, the sector will thrive.”
Representing the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, at the opening ceremony, deputy president of the NLC, Amechi Asugwuni, charged the union’s members to follow due process in advancing the fortunes of the sector.
Speaker at the event, Kunle Hamzat, the executive secretary of the Retail Council of Nigeria, who analysed the topic on the role of the sector to national development, maintained that Nigerians need a change of mindset.
“Whatever things that you’re doing and that is putting food on your table do it well. We need to work together to achieve success in the sector,” he said.
