The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi, on Thursday, said Nigerians who are expecting his ministry to provide jobs would be disappointed because it is not part of their mandate.
The minister made the clarification at the annual conference of the Federal Capital Territory chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in Abuja.
While highlighting that his ministry is mindful of Nigeria’s enormous youth population and the need to ensure that they are gainfully engaged, Dingyadi emphasised that the provision of employment for them was not their responsibility.
According to the former minister of police affairs, their main task was to create an enabling environment and never to secure jobs for anybody.
He said, “You will agree with me that the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment is never to give employment to people. But it is at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly as it relates to job creation, sustained and inclusive investment, as well as the promotion of enhanced productivity for improved service delivery.
“As you are aware, the ministry is not there to provide employment because the former minister of youths and sports, before he left, was asking me to give him jobs. I said we only create the environment for jobs. We don’t give jobs.