By George Ozalla
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has pledged to strengthen its relationship with the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, with a promise to provide journalists with regular access to accurate information on the Ministry’s activities.
The assurance was given by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Kamil Ayinde Shoretire, when he received the Chairman of the NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Felix Ojo, executive members and other journalists during a courtesy visit to the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Shoretire described the media as an important stakeholder in the promotion of the Ministry’s programmes and policies, stressing that the Ministry would continue to work closely with journalists in keeping Nigerians properly informed.
“Thank you for coming. We are partners and we would like to continue to strengthen our partnership. We will continue to provide the right, appropriate and correct information to Nigerians on what we do here,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary said the Ministry’s responsibilities extend beyond resolving disputes between employers and employees, explaining that it also formulates labour policies, promotes industrial harmony, inspects workplaces to ensure compliance with labour laws, enforces international labour conventions ratified by Nigeria, promotes occupational safety and health standards, and resolves labour-related complaints through mediation and other statutory processes.
He urged journalists to verify information before publication, warning against relying on unverified reports circulated on social media.
“The advent of social media has made it easy for people to post unverified information as facts. We are easy to reach. Come to us to get the facts,” Shoretire added.
Earlier, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Felix Ojo, said the visit was aimed at opening a new chapter of cooperation between the Chapel and the Ministry, especially in ensuring wider media coverage of labour and employment issues.
According to him, most reports on the Ministry focus on industrial disputes, whereas many of its programmes and interventions receive little public attention.
“Most of the stories we see are about conflicts between labour and employers. From all you have mentioned, the Ministry is doing a lot. We want to collaborate with you in news reporting and increase public awareness of your programmes beyond conflict stories,” Ojo said.
He appealed to the Ministry to support the Chapel through regular capacity-building programmes, professional training and welfare initiatives for journalists. He also called for the Ministry’s intervention in addressing cases of harassment and unlawful arrest of journalists while carrying out their lawful duties.
Also speaking, Secretary of the Chapel’s Cooperative and Investment Committee, Mr. Raymond Nyayoti, appealed to the Ministry to facilitate collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and other relevant government agencies to strengthen the Chapel’s cooperative society.
“We are not asking for direct financial support. We are seeking collaboration with relevant agencies that can help strengthen our cooperative and improve the welfare of our members,” Nyayoti said.
Responding, Shoretire assured the delegation that the Ministry would examine the requests in line with its statutory responsibilities.
He also directed the Head of Press and Public Relations, Mrs. Annah Daniel, to serve as the liaison officer between the Ministry and the Chapel to ensure regular communication, effective information sharing and closer engagement.
