The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment yesterday disclosed that it has generated over N30.7 million as payments for test certification service.
The sum represents the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the ministry arising from the trade testing service (certification ) for the year 2023.
This is in addition to the certification revenue of N65.6 million generated between 2019 – 2022, the ministry noted.
Deputy director, Department of Skills Development and Certification, Dr Tiza Shaakaa who disclosed these figures in Abuja, added that 23,340 unemployed Nigerians have been trained through the department’s various skills acquisition programmes in vocational and technical for the period of three years from 2020.
According to him, 3,192 people were trained in 2020, while 8,903 people were trained in 2021 with an additional 11,245 others trained in 2022.
Of this number, he said, 100 of the trainees were empowered with a starter pack in 2020, 870 in 2021 and 2,200 others in 2022.
Shaakaa who explained this at a workshop for strategic reportage on job creation and employment generation in Abuja by the ministry’s press unit, further stated that the training was done in pursuance to the ministry’s mandate of job creation.
He noted that the training was carried out across Nigeria in capacity with the budgetary allocation and in addition to skills acquisition programmes mandated by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE ).
Earlier, director overseeing the office of the permanent secretary, ministry of labour and employment, Emmanuel Igbinosun said that the workshop was in recognition of the significant role of the media as a strategic partner in actualising the ministry’s mandate and delivering its services.
He urged journalists to maximise the gains offered by the workshop to impact positively on their reportage of the ministry’s mandates and activities.
He said, “As one of the eight points of this administration, tackling unemployment is central to the success of this administration, and every effort and policy of the government on each requires adequate publicity and public awareness.
I therefore encourage you to work in concert with the federal government in achieving its agenda through independent and knowledge-based reportage of government’s efforts and policies in these areas”.