Lagos, July 19, 2023: The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says the private sector is well positioned to assist the federal government to change the narratives surrounding issues of national development, growth and unemployment.
The association said this at its 66th Annual General Meeting with the theme, “Rethinking the Role of the Private Sector in National Development “ held on Tuesday in Lagos.
The Director-General, NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said that the theme of the meeting was deliberately chosen because the country was currently facing serious challenges.
Oyerinde reiterated the need for government to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in order to achieve national development and growth.
“The private sector is well positioned to assist government to change the narratives within the context of all issues, including national growth, development and unemployment issues, if government plays its own part by creating an environment that is conducive for the organised private sector to thrive.
“We talk about creating one million jobs, national development plan, so many plans that we have currently or that we have had in the past, but we have not achieved all those, because the key engine that will help us to achieve those national developments, successive governments have treated them with disdain.
“We have issues of multiplicity of taxes that we have spoken about many times: over 60 different taxes in the three tiers of government, so many other illegal taxes in between.
“We have other new taxes that are coming up now: who survives that kind of environment? So, let government play its part, then the private sector is well positioned to help government to navigate our path to growth in a faster dimension, basically, “ Oyerinde said.
Also, the Keynote Speaker, the President, Transcorp Group, Dr Owen Omogiafo, said employers of labour also had a role to play in the lives of their employees.
According to her, employers have a position of trust, and therefore need to create an enabling environment for employees to be able to thrive within, and encourage them to give their best to their country, nation and themselves.
“There are a number of ways employers can do this; you can encourage your employees to perform in your Corporate Social Responsibility activities, give back of themselves to the communities that they are engaged within, and you can also provide incentives.
“As employers of labour, we can also support employees in their personal growth and aspirations; you may have an employee who has decided to further his education.
“There are different ways different organisations support: some organisations give time off to go for exams; some may give reduced workload; some actually go as far as providing scholarships for certain deserving employees for them to be able to go.
“We are dealing with the “Japa syndrome”; what do we do as nation builders, people who are rethinking the private sector engagement?
“We can create such an environment that employees feel that there is hope; they are well paid, well regarded at work, they feel like they are able to develop and grow within the country, “ Omogiafo said.
Earlier, the President, NECA, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, in his speech, said that the theme was apt, as global events had proved that the private sector remained the engine of national development.
Adeniyi said that no nation could make significant progress without a viable and thriving private sector.
In his remarks, the President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Joe Ajaero, urged NECA to work with it to ensure safeguarding o the prevailing, albeit fragile, industrial harmony in the country’s workplaces through wage justice for Nigerian workers.
Ajaero was represented by Mr Chris Onyeka, the Assistant General Secretary of NLC.
“Living wages for Nigerian workers, especially at a time like this, is a win-win formula that will go a long way to promote productivity, innovation, and commitment in the workplace.
“On the part of the NLC, we have emphatically told government that there must be an immediate wage review in the country, including very significant adjustment to the national minimum wage.
“Anything less than a robust review of wages for our workers would throw many workers under the bus of the community of the working poor. That is unacceptable!, ” he said.
