The Minister of Labour and Productivity has said that the Federal Government is preparing to receive the expected influx of Nigerians in the Diaspora, who may return home over the global economic crisis.
He said that Nigerians in the Diaspora might return home after losing their jobs, and the Federal Government is already preparing to receive them.
He said that a buffer has already been put in place to reduce the shock and the difficulties their influx would have, adding that the government had as a result, taken the issue of job creation as a matter of priority.
He said, “We want to take the issue of job creation as a matter of priority and development in Nigeria. There will be a National Summit coming soon with a work plan. It is not just going to be a talk-show and just one of the programmes, especially now that the economic crunch is here. ”
“We know that a lot of Nigerians are going to be coming home from abroad because the foreign jobs they used to do are no longer there. With the new policy abroad, foreigners shall be forced to leave for the citizens to take over and when there is no job there, you are finished when you cannot pay your bills, your mortgages. Because of the loss of jobs abroad, that will add to the unemployment here,”
He said that some of the processes put in place include organising a National Summit on Employment with a work plan, a Budget Implementation Plan, a Social Security Network, to institute productivity efficiency, ensure labour and industrial relations, etc.
Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark said that the Federal Government was prepared for any negative effect of the global financial crisis and the government has no plan for a bail-out package.
He said, “I am sure that the government has a backup plan, but if you don’t have a problem now, you don’t begin to bail-out unless the problem comes. There is no problem and so, there is no bail-out yet, but I’m sure that the government is fully prepared for it just in case it happens. Just in case.
“You see, we have called the governor of the central bank several times, we also called the economic team several times and the assurance we have been receiving is that things will be okay. That is the assurance. If the people who are there and are supposed to know are giving us assurance, then, we should not have any difficulty.”