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We’re Committed To Sustainable Workers’ Welfare, Dialogue: KWSG

Published

1 year ago

January 9, 2024

Joel Ajayi

Kwara State Government wishes to restate its commitment to promote the welfare of workers and the people of the state. This assurance is in reaction to the press briefing of the labour unions who made demands for the implementation of some outstanding allowances and emolument.

This administration, despite being among the third lowest recipients of federal allocations, has fewer rivals in the country in terms of prompt payment of salary and general welfare of workers.

In the wake of and since the removal of subsidy by the Federal Government, the administration has committed additional N1,392,135,000.00 every month to payment of palliatives to the workers alone.

As things stand today at the state level, an average of 74.06% of federal allocation to the state goes into payment of salaries and allowances of workers alone. This does not include the cost of providing government services or any public emergency. At the local government level, between 80% and 95% of their monthly allocations go into paying workers’ salary alone.

This leaves just a pittance for the rest of the population and developmental projects. It is worse at the local government level. This often forces the government to resort to different financial strategies, including loans, to maintain or expand existing infrastructure and develop new ones to ensure socioeconomic growth and human capital development.

Regardless, the administration understands the critical roles that workers play in the implementation of projects, policies, and programmes of government, and will continue to pay attention to the welfare of workers in a sustainable way. To this end, the government is already doing a lot of reviews to gradually accommodate the demands.

From the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff to the Governor, and Office of the Head of Service, among others, the door of the government is always open to leadership of the labour unions for constructive engagement. The administration favours dialogue, mutual respect, collective bargaining, and commitment to sustainable economic growth over any other thing. Already, the Chief of Staff Alhaji Abdulkadir Mahe has been asked to initiate a new round of dialogue with the unions.

We therefore urge the labour unions to embrace dialogue and continue to reciprocate the goodwill of the government over the years in the over all interest of the taxpayers and the general public.

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Business

Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy Presents Budget Performance Report to National Assembly

Published

11 hours ago

June 19, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy has presented its budget performance report to the National Assembly, highlighting the ministry’s achievements, challenges, and future plans.

The report which was presented to the House Committee on Art, Culture and Creative Economy on Wednesday, detailed the ministry’s efforts to promote Nigeria’s cultural heritage, support the growth of the creative industry, and drive economic growth.

The ministry’s initiatives include developing a robust intellectual property policy, investing in infrastructure, and fostering collaboration with stakeholders.

The ministry’s budget performance presentation which highlighted its eight-point plan, initiatives such as Nigeria Destination 2030, skills development, policy frameworks, intellectual property protection, strategic partnerships, growth targets, digital transformation, and cultural heritage preservation was given a thumbs up by the House committee.

During the presentation, the minister, Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa highlighted the challenges faced by the ministry, including limited resources and infrastructure. Despite these challenges, she said that the ministry has made significant progress in promoting Nigerian culture and supporting the creative industry.

Musawa also emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnership in driving the growth of the creative industry.

“We cannot do this alone. We need to work together with stakeholders, including industry experts, international partners, and the National Assembly, to drive economic growth and job creation”.

The minister explained that the ministry’s initiatives are expected to have a significant impact on the creative industry, generating revenue, creating jobs, and promoting Nigerian culture globally. She stated that the ministry is also exploring ways to develop infrastructure, including a physical Bollywood-style destination, and creating a streaming platform to showcase Nigerian content.

“The ministry has also secured a grant from the French treasury to support infrastructure development, and is working to leverage international partnerships to drive growth in the creative industry” the minister said.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Dr Mukhtar Yawale Muhammed, MFR, mni. highlighted key achievements and budget performance in the sector as well as the ministry’s GDP contribution to the economy, tourism revenue accrued, and project implementation.

The Chairman, House Committee on Art, Culture and Creative Economy Hon. Gabriel Saleh Zok commended the ministry’s initiatives and expressed the Committee’s commitment to support the growth of the creative industry.

“We are here to access your budget performance and ensure effective utilization of funds appropriated. We expect to have a closer working relationship with the ministry”.

The interaction with the House Committee members provided insights into the Ministry’s efforts to drive economic growth and development through strategic initiatives and project implementation.

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