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Officials of the
Labour Ministry will this year spend more than three times on domestic
and international travel than what obtained in 2010, according to the
ministry’s budget plan which proposes a massive slash on funds meant
for employment programmes.

In the estimate
which awaits National Assembly’s approval, a bulk of annual job
programmes such as skills acquisition, agricultural and entrepreneurial
training will this year receive N775.9 million, a far cry from last
year’s N5.2 billion.

Yet, funds
earmarked for international and domestic travel of officials, mostly
the Minister and the Permanent Secretary, draws the highest raise in
years, climbing from N207.5 million to N622.5 million.

The two travel
subheads featured prominently in a presentation made before the House
of Representatives yesterday, and were listed first and second in a
list of 17 “critical vote and requirements” for 2011.

Each trip within Africa is estimated at N20 million while distances beyond will cost N40 million each, the ministry stated.

In a prepared
analysis, the Minister, Emeka Worgu, told the lawmakers that many of
the international trips will be for “mandatory meetings” of labour
organisations, in which Nigeria is executive member.

“In view of the
several official trips required of the Honorable Minister and Permanent
Secretary to various events, coupled with the official travels engaged
in by other ministry staff for verification exercise, monitoring and
manpower audit, substantial fund allocation is requested,” he said on
Wednesday.

But the budget
details, allocations and their listing will highlight the Labour
Ministry’s priority as unemployment rate stays high amid ceaseless
industrial unrest.

In all, the
Ministry’s estimate is to drop from N12.3 billion for last year, to
N9.15 billion. With an administrative and personnel cost of N3.287
billion and N4.9 billion respectively, the bulk of the budget slash is
on the capital. Most part of the capital proposal, although with a
perennial poor implementation record, resides with the National
Directorate of Employment.

The funds, past
budgets say, are usually directed at vocational skills for school
leavers, entrepreneurial training for small owners, agricultural
training for rural employment, creation of job centres, and a few
office procurement.

In this year’s
proposal, allocation to the Directorate’s capital is N500 million,
against last year’s N4.67 billion. Also, more funds are directed at
recurrent cost, underpinning a traditional practice which the
executive, and even the legislature have recently pledged to reverse.

The House
committee on labour, headed by Ado Audu, which received the proposals,
said more meetings will be scheduled to properly sort out the contents
of the Ministry’s budget estimates.