Minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige, has accused Nigerians for complaining of hardship under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. The minister in an interview, accused Nigerians of complaining of hardship in this present administration of being PDP loyalists. Ngige said this present administration which is yet to make one year in office is working assiduously towards the betterment of Nigerians.
According to him,he said,“I don’t know what you mean by hardship and those you call Nigerians. Are they the federal civil servants getting their monthly salaries as and when due? We don’t owe them, not even allowances and there is no reason they should be unhappy with the APC government. Are the okada riders among those complaining when they are making brisk businesses or the graduates we will soon address their problem of unemployment after the passage of the budget”.
The minister, who blamed unemployment for some of the social vices happening in the country said: “Unemployment is the herald of Boko Haramism, herald of IPOBism, OPCism and militancy in the Niger Delta. It is a scourge and serious disease condition that we must fight and that is why we are in this ministry and government.”
According to him, the government has a job creation programme under the supervision of the vice president as well as other jobs that would be made public very soon. “We have job creation programmes under the supervision of the Vice President and other inter-ministerial ones that will be rolled out very soon. By the time we roll out, more funds will be put into the economy. Let us warn that the funds are not for stealing. The only difference between APC and PDP is the stealing of the lots of floating funds. Many of the elite were grabbing these floating funds and they are the ones protesting that they are not happy with the present government.
He further said that those complaining especially the elite are members or loyalists of the PDP. We are not bothered because we are going to continue with our common-people’s programme and I want to assure that the tide will soon change. So, we are waiting for the budget. Don’t forget that we are not the ones that appropriate funds but the National Assembly. We have given them budget, done some alterations and amendments as needs be in areas where some people try to mutilate and we are waiting for now. Once they approve the budget as proposed, we roll out our programmes”.
