Traditional leaders, elders, and scholars in Sokoto have appealed to the beneficiaries of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Renewed Hope Employment Initiative to consider themselves lucky and focus on the skills to be acquired.
Addressing beneficiaries in Sokoto during the official flag-off ceremony of the Renewed Hope Initiative skills acquisition training in vocational, agricultural, entrepreneurial, skills transient jobs and activities in the public works sector, one of the respected elders in Sokoto, Dr Nasir Sarkin Fulani warned that they will keep an eye to ensure that the desired objective is not abused.
Also advising the beneficiaries, Dr Mohammed Abubakar from Usmanu Danfodiyo University appealed to everyone to embrace technology and make better use of their time.
Similarly, the HOD Agricultural Technology, Umar Ali Shinkagi Polytechnic, Sokoto, Dr Lawal Abubakar who is to train participants on goat farming and Dr Sanusi Yahaya who is to train them on poultry farming assured beneficiaries of the wealth they can build from productive agriculture.
Speaking earlier, in his welcome address, the director general of NDE, Dr Silas Ali Agara represented by the Sokoto State acting coordinator of NDE, Lukman Abubakar said the initiative to train 93,751 unemployed Nigerians in about 30 different skills was a collaboration between the NDE and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
According to Silas, the initiative was NDE’s modest short term effort geared towards checking the scourge of unemployment in Nigeria.
Continuing, Silas said, that 10 persons from each of the 8,809 electoral wards in Nigeria will be recruited to benefit from the 30 skills set across NDE’s four core programmes of Vocational Skills Development, Small Scale Enterprises, Rural Employment Promotion and Special Works.
Giving his advice, the state acting coordinator of NDE, Lukman Abubakar, appealed to beneficiaries to take the opportunity very seriously, adding that after completion, they will not only become self-employed but also employers of labour.
