FG flags off 774,000 Special Public Works in Kano

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has on Wednesday flagged off the Extended Special Public Works (SPW) programme tagged “temporary employment of 774,000 youths across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, and the disbursement of N20,000 to each of the beneficiaries for three months.

It would be recalled that the scheme, which entails temporary employment of 774,000 youths across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country, and the disbursement of N20,000 to each of the beneficiaries for three months, was conceived by the Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo.

The minister, who is the Chairman of the Board of the NDE, mandated the directorate to coordinate the programme, which includes selected projects nationwide.

However, while speaking at the flag-off ceremony, held at Bayero University Kano on Wednesday the Acting Director-General of NDE, Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, described the scheme as “a very significant step in Nigeria’s quest to win the war against mass unemployment as well as to ameliorate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to him, President Muhammadu Buhari had approved for the implementation of the programme to all 36 states of the federation “after the successful conduct of pilot phase of the programme within the first quarter of 2020 in 8 states, including Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Katsina and Kwara States.”

Speaking on his behalf, Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar Bichi, Director Procurement of NDE, Fikpo added that 44,000 youths would benefit from the scheme in Kano, adding that 1000 youths were selected from each of the 44 Local Government Areas in the state.

He described the programme as the best and most far-reaching grass-root based employment creation in the history of Nigeria.

He then charged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the gesture by the President to be dedicated to their job.

Aso speaking on the occasion, President Buhari, said SPW came to limelight in a bid to quickly address the issue of the pervasive hunger, poverty, environmental degradation and joblessness.


The Minister of Defense, Bashir Salihi Mgashi, who spoke on behalf of President Buhari, disclosed that each participating Local Government was responsible for identifying its preferred projects and would ensure that they are executed as planned.

The president expressed optimism that the scheme would provide necessary economic palliative to the 774,000 unemployed youths, adding that the beneficiaries might deploy the knowledge/skills acquired to become self-employed.

Earlier, the Kano state governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said his administration had provided numerous programmes aimed at empowering youth in the state.

In his words, over 700 youths that have undergone training on modern auto-mechanic and have since commenced operating in different locations of Kano metropolis.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, also stated that the Federal Government has on Monday launched a programme where 8,000 rural women received N20, 000 each in order to cushion their economic effects.

He thanked the President for introducing numerous Social Investment Programmes, aimed at alleviating poverty in the country.

However, the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano State council, Abbas Ibrahim challenged participants to accord health issues deserving priority in their reportage.

Comrade Ibrahim said news report should not be restricted to reporting problem or wrongdoing, but also engaging those responsible to provide a solution.

He recalled how he constantly pursued cases up to logical conclusion when he was covering a crime beat at Radio Kano decades ago.

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