11 individuals, firms bag National Productivity award today

FAAN boss, others listed

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will today confer the prestigious National Productivity Order of Merit (MPOM) on 11 individuals and two organizations today.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, who disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, said the award is part of the 2015 edition of the National Productivity Day that is, expected to be celebrated in every state of the federation today.

While explaining that the award has, over the years, been creating the desired awareness and competitive spirit among government officials at the federal, state and local government levels with the private sector also striving to improve their productivity and be listed for the award.

He added: “As more organizations and individuals are recognized and rewarded for higher productivity through the National Productivity Order of Merit Award, the foundation for productivity consciousness and improvement is indeed being laid and consolidated in Nigeria.”

Illoh noted that as Nigeria strives to join the 20 largest economies in the world by 2020, the need to improve productivity becomes even more imperative.

“The government is conscious of the critical role of productivity in the realization of the change agenda, as no nation can be self-reliant and competitive in the international market without productivity improvement in all sectors of the economy. Indeed, no nation enjoys a standard of living higher than its level of productivity,” he submitted.

Illoh hinted that National Policy of Productivity, which was developed recently, has indeed created conditions for rapid and sustained productivity growth in all sectors as it provides a systematic and comprehensive productivity roadmap.

According to him, the objectives of the National Productivity Day is aimed at institutionalizing productivity consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organizations in both public and private sectors in Nigeria by emphasizing hard work, high performance, efficiency, discipline, dedication, humility and patriotism.

Similarly, the objectives include awarding workers and organizations proper and due recognition for hard work, high performance, high productivity and research achievements; ensuring high level of effectiveness of public policies and programmes of various public services; encouraging and fostering the spirit of healthy competition in production amongst workers, firms and companies in Nigeria; building and encouraging the spirit of self-reliance and identifying and rewarding the most productive workers and organizations in both public and private sectors of the economy.