From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Abubakar Fikpo, has described the Special Public Works Programme (SPWP) introduced in 2019 as a huge success as over 8,000 families have benefited immensely from it.
The programme, he said at a recent media engagement, was targeted at employing 1,000 unskilled youths in each of the 774 LGAs of the country for three months.
The NDE boss stated that exit strategies have also been designed by the directorate to enable the beneficiaries to become self-reliant and ensure that they do not relapse into the labour market
He reiterated the Directorate’s commitment to crushing the high rate of unemployment and the hideous consequences to the larger society through various sustainable job creation and empowerment programmes.
‘In the last one year, we have made a significant impact in job creation and employment generation nationwide,’ he said.
‘Towards the end of the year 2021, the Directorate was in Delta, Plateau and Bauchi States where well over 3,000 youths and women groups were empowered and resettled with various starter packs to kick-start their businesses.
‘We were also in Katsina State early this month for a similar exercise where 1,000 people were empowered. It is our desire to skill–up the entire country and empower all willing Nigerians to be self-employed.
‘It is also worth mentioning that the NDE just recently disbursed N100,000 to 3,996 beneficiaries of Agricultural Enhancement Scheme (AES), Sustainable Agricultural Development Enhancement Scheme (SADES), Graduate Agricultural Enhancement Scheme (GAES) and the Community BasedAgricultural Enhancement Scheme (CBES).
‘This year, we have renewed the loan exercise and it is currently ongoing in many states of the Federation in order to bring more youths into commercial agriculture”, he said.
In his keynote address, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, who is also Chairman of the NDE Board, and its Supervising Minister, Festus Keyamo, commended the NDE for its efforts in empowering thousands of youths and women by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills.
‘I am aware that the NDE has trained and empowered thousands of Nigerian youths and women across the country and produced blue-collar jobs. I have witnessed various NDE programmes under which young men and women were exposed to entrepreneurial and skill acquisition opportunities designed to equip them with the critical skills required to successfully set up and run private enterprises to stimulate the economy.
‘I want to use this medium to assure you that the NDE empowerment exercise will take place nationwide,’ he said.