13,000 Unemployed Youths To Be Engaged By FG

13,000 Unemployed Youths To Be Engaged By FG

 

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that the federal government is going to empower unemployed youths in there thousands.

The Federal Government wants the youths to participate in the maintenance of public works for the three tiers of government and to achieve that they will be empowering 13,000 unemployed youths this was disclosed by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.

Dr Onu, the Minister disclosed this at Abakalika, Ebonyi State where the official flag-off of the extended special public works programme (ESPWP)

The Minister said they need hands in maintaining public works of the Local, State and Federal government, which is what the Programme is aimed at and adding to the fact that a thousand youths each were picked from all Local government Areas in the country.

Engaging the youths from different local government will give the goverment opportunity to get closer and feel what they are going through and also to employ the youths for that sector, he further said the Special programme will ensure that all public work projects are well maintained.

“ The work to be done in each Local Government Area may be different, but on the whole, the aim is to ensure that public works are properly and adequately maintained,” he said.

The Minister urged the beneficiaries and relevant stakeholders of the program to show strong commitment in ensuring efficient implementation as the tools and equipment have been provided by the Federal Government.

Dr Onu further said that the programme will aid the participants to become sustainable and self-employed from the knowledge and skills they have acquired during the program.

After the youths must have gone through the training, he urged the Organized Private Sector (OPS) to show interest in employing the participants into their establishment.

He was of the opinion that the collaboration of the private sector supporting the federal goverment idea by employing the participants will go a long way and in his words he said,

“I call on the Private Sector to show interest in employing these participants after they have acquired additional knowledge and skills in the process of implementing the programme”.

According to him, the Federal Government will closely monitor the implementation of the program, in order to ensure efficient use of both human and capital resources.

The Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Umahi, represented by the Secretary to the State Government Dr Kenneth Ugbala commended the concern of President Muhammadu Buhari for Ebonyi State and for showcasing his leadership style by providing palliatives such as this programme to ameliorate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

He further reiterated the commitment of the State government to collaborate with the Federal government and the steering committee in the state to make sure the beneficiaries of this programme will have a testimony that will change the story of our nation.

Funds to empower the beneficiaries to start small scale businesses after the initial three months of engagement will be made available as at when due he promised.

Chief Umahi was of the opinion that once the federal government Engaged the13,000 youths and they are off the street and productively busy, crime will be greatly reduced from our society

Dr Micheal Mbata emphasized the drive of the Federal Government through NDE to win the war against poverty and youth unemployment in Nigeria and this was delivered in a goodwill message, for the acting Director-General of National Directorate of Employment was delivered by Director Rural Employment promotion.

The Federal Government was assured that NDE will deliver the target and monitor the smooth implementation of the programme as it should be.