By Victor Ahiuma-Young

THE Federal Government has said it is determined to address the challenges bedeviling the construction industry to ensure the sector improves on its contributions to the economic development of the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, at the 10th Triennial National Delegates Conference of the Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association, CCESSA, the government noted that the construction industry fulfilled one of the basic needs of human beings by way of providing shelter, access to facilities, employment and comfortability for the society.

Dr. Illoh explained that the Federal government was aware of the myriad of challenges confronting the construction industry which included decent work agenda, low income, freedom of association and fundamental human right at work.

According to him, the present administration had a new focus and was poised to addressing these challenges bedevilling the industry, insisting that the Ministry of labour and productivity would leave no stone unturned in alleviating these challenges.

He expressed delight over the insignificant number of strikes recorded in the construction industry which was as a result of the effective development of social dialogue as an instrument of settling disputes, saying, “I can count the number of cases that have come to the ministry of labour that is associated with the construction industry. There are some industries that on a daily basis,get a barrage of strikes, lockouts and all sorts of things.”

Earlier, President of CCESSA, Augustine Etafo, frowned at the soaring rate of unemployment in the country, decrying that many graduates and skilled youths were roaming about in search of jobs.

“We have used every opportunity of engagement with government to demand and tackle the problem of unemployment. The construction industry, one of the leading job providers should be bailed out of its present predicament by paying the money owed the contractors ” he said.