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By Francis Okoye, Maiduguri
The Federal government has flagged off its public works creation programme for 27,000 unemployed Borno youths .
It will be recalled that the federal government had earlier in Abuja, flagged off the public job creation scheme to engage 774,000 unemployed Nigeria youths from all the local governments across the federation in community services .
Flagging off the job scheme yesterday in Maiduguri, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Shehuri, said engagement of the 27,000 youths from the 27 local government areas of Borno will cost the federal government a whopping sum of N1.62 billion ,being three months allowances forthe participants.
He added that there are other federal government interventions that are ongoing in the agriculture, health, education and socioeconomic sectors in the state.
” While we are here to flag off this gigantic project, it is good to know that federal government has created numerous jobs such as vocational skill development programmes for about 485 youths and women. 3,450 youths and women received training cosmetology while special trainings were offered to 2000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
” 50 persons were taken through small scale entrepreneurship programme. 50 others were trained in Basic Businesses while 3,054 youths and women were supported under micro enterprises and farming skills.
” About 18,365 unemployed persons were trained and resettled under small scale and medium enterprises investment scheme , in collaboration with the central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN ),” the Minister said.
He said earlier, the federal government implemented the pilot special public programme in eight select states which included Borno, noting that the programme engaged 5,000 unemployed youths across the select states.
” Accordingly, the successes recorded from the pilot programme in Borno and other states convinced president Muhammadu Buhari to expand the programme to cover all states of the federation,” Shehuri further said.
In his keynote address, Borno state Governor,Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum expressed gratitude to president Muhammadu Buhari for his support to the people of Borno who facing the brunt of Boko Haram insurgency.
Zulum noted that being that Borno and its people are at critical time of relocating internally displaced persons, following the gallantry efforts of the Nigerian military, the creation of the 27,000 jobs by the federal government in Borno will enhance the resettlement programme.
Represented by his deputy, Usman Kadafur, the Governor noted that many of the IDPs and indeed members of the host communities need skills acquisition and jobs to meet up with pressing needs after resettlement.
” The National Directorate of employment has over the years done much for Borno. May I use this opportunity to remind you that the beneficiaries of the pilot programme in February 2020 are still awaiting their two months payments.
” I urge all the beneficiaries this programme to cooperate with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to achieve set objectives of the Buhari’s administration”, he said.
