By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, will next week Tuesday play host to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and other distinguished Nigerians, including some Nigerian Governors and respected labour leaders at its 10th National Industrial Labour Relations Summit and Award ceremony.

The summit which is being organised by the Labour Institute as part of efforts to set agenda for industrial harmony in the country is scheduled to be declared open by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state will serve as hosts at the gathering of stakeholders in the nation’s labour relations system.

The Director General of MINILS, Comrade Issa Aremu, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing a press conference heralding the labour summit.

Aremu, whose text of the address was read by Mrs Olaide Ajiboye said that the summit will chart the way forward on how to achieve industrial harmony among stakeholders.

He added that industrial harmony is capable of engendering peace, increasing productivity and boosting economic development in the country.

Aremu said that the summit would deliberate on employment issues, adding that its objectives include promoting productive and secured decent work, social justice in workplaces, occupational health and safety and productivity for national development.

“Hundreds of participants drawn from organized labour, employers of labour women, youths, and people living with disabilities, students of labour relations and civil society from private and public sectors are expected at the historic summit hosted by the MINILS’ director general and management of this institute”, he said.

Themed, “The Future of Work and Renewed Hope Agenda: Issues and Perspectives”, Aremu said that the summit will have Minister of Planning, Atiku Bagudu as the lead presenter.

He added that discussants would also include the president of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC), Comrade Joseph Ajaero, president of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Comrade Festus Osifo, director general of NECA, Mr. Adewale Smatt-Oyerinde, while the moderator is Prof. Dafe Otobo.

“The summit offers a timely platform for the President, governors, employers of labour and labour market institutions to constructively reflect on the government labour agenda concerning job creation, decent work, workers’ motivation and productivity improvement for National Development.

“The high point of the 2024 Summit is the conferment of deserving dignitaries with a fellowship of National Labour Institute (fnli) to notable labour market actors that have promoted decent work agenda as recommended by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The awardees include the Governors of Kaduna State, Uba Sanni, Abia State, Alex Otti, and their counterparts from Borno, Bauchi and Osun States, former Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) , Barr. Nyesom Wike, and a host of others.