Information Ministry to create two million jobs in 3 years — Lai Mohammed

By TIMOTHY CHOJI, Abuja

Nigeria’s Ministry of Information and Culture says it can create two million additional jobs within the next three years in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to move 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed, made this known to State House Correspondents while briefing them on the outcome of Wednesday’s virtual cabinet meeting presided over by President Buhari.

The Minister said this was part of his presentation to the cabinet, regarding his Ministerial Performance Report covering the period of August 2019 to June 2020.

According to him, “the Cultural Industrial Centres, which are scattered all over the country, are capable of creating 500,000 jobs within the next three years, as the nation can have some 100,000 jobs from the restoration of museums, especially in Lagos, Plateau and Kwara states.

“But the good news, as contained in today’s presentation, is that the Ministry of Information and Culture is set to create over 2 million jobs within the next three years.

“We are doing this through the implementation of Deliverable number seven, which mandates us to collaborate with the private sector to create jobs for the youth.”

Mohammed noted that the number one job creator under the Ministry of Information and Culture is the Digital Switch Over (DSO) in broadcasting.

“The DSO is set to create one million jobs in the next three years through the manufacturing of set-top-boxes (decoders) and TV sets, TV and Film production, as well as TV and Online advertising and Data, among others,” the Minister said.

The Information Minister said the DSO will also fetch 100 million dollars from the collection of TV licences and Digital Access Fess, as well as one billion dollars from the sale of the spectrum that would be vacated once the Analogue to Digital migration has been completed.

He further disclosed that the ministry had so far rolled out the DSO in five states (Enugu, Osun, Kwara, Kaduna and Plateau States) as well as the Federal Capital Territory, while efforts had been intensified to extend the rollout to all parts of the country.

Mohammed however, noted that the negative impact of Covid-19 on the economy had affected all sectors in Nigeria and around the world.

He said the Creative Industry in Nigeria was the worst hit, compared to any other sector.

“This is so because the industry is the most people-centred, and with social distancing and the ban on mass gathering, the industry is now grappling at straws,” he said.

He explained that the ongoing reform of the Broadcast and Advertising Industries was aimed at strengthening the industries so they could live up to their billing and generate more job opportunities.

The Minister expressed optimism that the reform would, among others, propel revolutionary advantages in the area of promoting entrepreneurship in the local industry.

“As for the Advertising Sector, bringing Nigeria’s TV advertisement market to what it should be, which is three times its current size, could result in additional $200-400 million dollars revenue to the industry, in addition to creating thousands of jobs,” he said. (VON)