… Gives Executive Order For C’ttee’s Operations
By Bassey Nkponam
UYO
In his commitment to boosting the industrial harmony and data-driven governance in the State, the Akwa Ibom governor has inaugurated the Labour and Industrial Committee as well as the Board of the Bureau of Statistics.
The 11-man Labour and Industrial committee headed by Mr Nse Essien Esq, has the permanent secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, as secretary, while the special adviser to the governor on Labour Relations, Sir Udo Kierian Akpan, Mmakim Antai, Mr Nse Ntuen, Mr Ekerete Ekpenyong, Sunday Etor Isokobo, Ubong Udo Uquang, Abraham Odion, Mr Uwemedimo Udoh, and the commissioner for labour and manpower planning, serve as members.
Also, the 9-member Board of the Bureau of Statistics, chaired by Elder Nse Ekefre, has the Statistician General of the State as secretary, with Dr Godwin Mbang Timothy, Mr Enefiok Peter, Mrs. Otuikor Joyce Mizpah, and Dr Emmanuel Ekpenyong, as members, while the commissioner for economic development, that of finance or their representatives, as well as the chairman, Statistical Association of Nigeria, Akwa Ibom State branch, are ex-officio members.
Inaugurating the committee and the board, Thursday, at the Executive Council Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Uyo, the State governor, Pastor Umo Eno, said the Akwa Ibom State Labour and Industrial Committee will foster harmony in labour-related matters, promote industrial relations in the State, maintain industrial harmony with companies operating in the State, identify and catalogue all companies for the purpose of ensuring maximum derivable benefits to the State and her people, urging them to be civil in their approach in working with the companies.
Other functions of the committee include to represent the state on recruitment and employment committees of oil and gas companies operating in the State; to ascertain and establish the number of servicing companies operating on and off the shores of Akwa Ibom State within its territorial boundaries, for the purpose of tracking revenue accruals and employment for youths in the State; ensure all companies comply with local content provision of the Petroleum Act 2021 in all ramifications, and ascertain the number of Akwa Ibom indigenes employed; liaise with the Federal Ministry of Labour and other federal agencies to ensure that the employment quota of the State is duly filled; relate with them and protect the interest of the State in other employment skills and technology development acquisition within and outside the state; report to the State government companies which default on agreed employment quota for the State and ensure any other matter that may occur from time to time be referred to the committee by government for action.
He directed all local government labour committees to work closely with the committee to achieve synergy and optimal efficiency, adding that government intends to appoint persons with institutional memory and experience to serve as delivery advisors on specific projects to ensure delivery timelines are met, away from the usual bureaucratic bottlenecks.
Eno said an executive order establishing the Akwa Ibom State Labour and Industrial Committee has been signed at the state level to give credence and impetus to the committee so inaugurated to operate, while working assiduously in the executive to send a bill to the State House of Assembly for the passage of the Committee into law.
He said the committee, basically, is to promote harmonious industrial and labour relations in Akwa Ibom and is not a replacement of the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning but would help in ensuring that there is harmony in the way government deals with labour issues in the State.
“To establish the Akwa Ibom State Labour and industrial Committee and that order is to give credence and impetus to the inauguration we are about to do this morning, while we work assiduously as a state in the executive to send the bill to the House of Assembly for the passage into law of the Labour Committee at the State level.
“While we are doing that, this executive order will give the impetus for this committee to do its work. I am aware that this committee exists in all our local governments except at the state level.
“We daily deal with issues of labour. Yesterday, I was in Eastern Obolo and it was actually a labour related issue with the community, and we hope that this committee will be able to swing into action. It is not in any way to replace the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Planning. It is to help in making sure that there is harmony in the way we deal with labour issues in the State.
“We need to ensure that we create jobs for our young people, and we are determined to ensure that we work with all of these oil companies to know and have access to their data of how many Akwa Ibomites they have employed and the level we have employed. We are not going to take over their employment but we are saying just show us and let us have the correct records.
“No more will our youths graduate and carry their certificate around while they import jobs into our State and our young professionals and graduates don’t have something to do. We need to be part of that. I am sure the Bill will address that effectively.
“There are many companies that are operating off shores and within our territorial boundaries, we don’t know them, they don’t want to talk to us, we don’t know where they pay their taxes. We need to now find out what is going on. Akwa Ibom State will no more be a safe haven for those who take advantage of our liberality and calmness. They just go ahead not paying their taxes, deferring to anybody. This committee brings to an end such unfettered kind of attitude.
“There are many agencies in Abuja that will give quota to all the States, and a lot of them have told me that we never show up. So, other States will wait. As that is closing, they bring in because they must fill the quota. So I expect this committee to know the enormity of works that has been placed on their shoulder.
“They must go round all these Ministries, familiarise themselves and know the quota that we have, particularly when they are recruiting, so that we can make our sons and daughters also have access to being interviewed, and I am sure they will do well and be also employed.
“When you see people of other States grow in professions, it is because conscious efforts were made to put them there. Even if they entered from level zero, some day they will grow.
“These are some of the things we believe this committee will do, and to show the seriousness, we have put in place an executive order, while we prepare a full Bill to ensure that we work and address this unemployment trend because we have so many companies in the State, yet we don’t have records of who and who is employed”, the governor said hinting that government was desirous of ensuring a coordinated approach in labour and employment issues in the State’s industrial sector, urging the committee to run the office with decorum.
The Bureau of Statistics Board is responsible for collating accurate and real-time data on key government initiatives and programmes; provide updated information to the public, enabling transparency and informed decision-making; as well as monitoring and evaluating the impacts of government programmes on citizens to allow for strategic adjustments where necessary to improve outcomes.
He announced plans to appoint delivery advisors for specific state projects to streamline bureaucratic processes and ensure the timely completion of projects before the end of his tenure.
Eno described 2025 as a “Year of Consolidation”, urging commissioners designate to be prepared to actively support the implementation of the ARISE Agenda and avoid hindering progress.
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