The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Monday directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, to strengthen legislation that will criminalise usurpers of government assets.

This, according to the Council at its sixth session, is aimed at mitigating the unwholesome activities of scrap metal vendors, miners, and cart pushers, among others, who indulge in stealing critical government assets in the country.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who briefed newsmen after a closed-door meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu, said the council expressed concern over the development, hence the decision to criminalise the activity.

“There’s also a conversation, I mean, a discussion around some scrap metal vendors, or miners, or whatever you call them. We have seen an increased activity among people who unscrupulously go to steal some of these government assets on the road, by the bridges, and other critical metals that they take to go and sell,” he said.

“The federal government is already mulling the possibility of criminalizing this. Of course, we already have some of these laws in existence, but we are looking at them in depth.

“And the Attorney General Federation has been directed to look at that. There’s an increased activity, you know, that government has noted where people go, especially in the cover of the night.

“They will remove some of this government assets, iron, metals and scraps, and then go to sell them to other individuals who in turn recycle them and bring them back to the market.

“Government feels very much concerned and is taking a closer look at how this can be mitigated going forward.”

This came as the Council also approved a new national policy on employment generation for the country.

Under the new policy, it will unfold new strategies to address the challenges of unemployment, poverty reduction, and highlight economic opportunities for the productivity and employment of Nigerians.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, said, “My memo is just one, but it’s a very important memo to the Labour sector in general. This memo has to do with, we have been able to get approval, to implement it, reduce it, and then to send it to our stakeholders, IPD, status of policy, that this national policy on employment has been approved.

“Usually because of this long span of time regarding the reality on the ground, the ministry decided to initiate the review of this national policy on employment so as to show the need to develop new strategies which will address challenges of unemployment and address poverty, create the economic opportunities for productive and employment of Nigerians.

“In the next two or three weeks, we are going to the International Labour Organization meeting in Geneva, we will be very proud to tell our colleagues in other parts of the world that we have been able to review the national employment policy.”

The cabinet similarly approved 17 underwriters for the Group Life Assurance Scheme for the President, Vice President, Chief of Staff to the President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, ministers, and Federal Government workers.

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, HOCS, Dr. Didi Easter Walson-Jack, disclosed this while also briefing newsmen at the end of the cabinet meeting.

Walson-Jack said that the approval for the 17 underwriters will cover the 2025/2027 policy year, adding that the policy would commence from the date of payment of premium to underwriters in line with the no-premium, no-cover policy.

She further explained that the policy also covers paramilitary organisations.