NDDC launches youth internship scheme worth N6bn annually

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), on Monday launched its Youth Internship Scheme, expected to train and empower 10,000 youths of the region within a 12-month period.

The programme which is strictly for youths from the nine states of the region and will train them in various skills of their interest to make them not just employable but independent and employers of labour themselves.

Selected applicants who must not be above 45 years old are expected to apply through an online platform designated for the scheme. They will individually receive a monthly stipend of N50,000 throughout the duration of the scheme.

While launching the Scheme, chairman of the commission, Chinedu Ebie stated that the purpose of the scheme was to empower the youth in the region to learn a skill for a 12-month period during which a stipend will be paid them.

Ebie assured that the NDDC was dedicated to advancing the implementation of the President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and implementation of impactful youth programmes.

He said that the Youth Internship Scheme will prepare 10,000 people across the Niger Delta region with the training and experience needed for gainful employment as well as self-employment through entrepreneurship.

Ebie explained that the scheme will accommodate young people across different levels of education and experience, noting, however, that they should not be above 45 years.

Also speaking, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, affirmed that entrepreneurial and skills enhancement were key components for unlocking the potential of the youth in the Niger Delta region.

He said that the objective was to get the youth to acquire meaningful and self-sustaining skills that will improve their lives, support their families and communities and thus ensure peace in the Niger Delta region.

Ogbuku stated that the internship scheme and other youth programmes of the NDDC were carefully thought out and included in the Commission’s 2024 budget, noting that it was not a reaction to the protests in other parts of the country.

He observed that the scheme will empower the benefitting youths in the areas of technology, music and arts, agriculture and marine, among others, adding that during the 12-month period of the internship, each intern would receive a stipend of N50,000 per month.

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