Niger Lifts Job Embargo, Earmarks N3bn For 3,000 New Workers

As one of the strategic plans for the 2023 fiscal year, the Niger State, Government has lifted embargo on employment and provided for the employment of 3000 workers while also earmarking N3 billion as additional cost.

The N3 billion proposed in the 2023 budget is for the salaries of the new employees of the government approximated to be N300 million monthly additional cost.

The commissioner for Planning, Malam Zakari Abubakar, stated this at the weekend while giving a breakdown of the budget proposal submitted to the house of assembly by the governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, last week.

Zakeri explained that the gesture was in line with government commitment to provide jobs for the teeming youths of the state, adding that relevant government agencies in charge of state  recruitment portal were already fine-tuning the employment processes.

“Government is determined to solve the problem of unemployment in the state and this is the reason for making enough financial provision for the exercise in our next year budget, ” he declared.

On sectoral allocation of the budget, the commissioner maintained that the 2023 proposed appropriation bill tagged ‘budget of consolidation and transition” is aimed at completing projects that have reached advanced stage.

The commissioner explained that the proposed budget was composed of N91.044, 745, 351.31 representing 38.11 per cent and N147, 879, 712, 431, 16 representing 61.89 per cent recurrent and capital expenditures respectively.

On capital expenditure, Abubakar explained that N98.7b had been earmarked for the economic sector comprising agriculture, livestock, investment, infrastructure, water resources, and planning commission among others.