To ensure that more Nigerians are empowered to withstand the harsh economic realities occasioned by unemployment and skyrocketing inflation in the country, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) said that 1,000 unemployed Nigerians comprising youths and women in Daura, Katsina State, are the latest beneficiaries of its job creation/empowerment programme.
In a press statement signed and made available to journalists in Abuja by NDE’s Deputy Director Press/ Public Relations, Mr Edmund Onwuliri, the Directorate explained that the beneficiaries were trained in different job driven skills and have received their empowerment packs.
The event, which was chaired by Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Yau Gwajo-Gwajo, took place at the palace of Emir of Daura, with many top government officials in attendance.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment who is also the supervising Minister of the NDE and Chairman of its board, Festus Keyamo, said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will do everything possible to arrest the unemployment situation in the country.
Keyamo also reiterated his confidence in NDE’s ability to proliferate the country with job creation driven skills, and enjoined beneficiaries of government loans in the country to make good use of the opportunities and bail themselves out of unemployment.
On his part, the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, praised the Director-General of the NDE for religiously aligning the programmes of the Directorate with the policies of the administration of President Buhari who he said is determined to stamp out unemployment especially among youths and women.
According to the Transport Minister, the disbursed equipment would go a long way in job creation and poverty alleviation. He also stated that the transportation sector in Nigeria today has created over two million jobs in 2021 alone.
In his address, the Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, said that the empowerment exercise is part of the desperate efforts and plans of the Federal Government to rescue Nigerians from the claws of the unemployment monster plaguing the nation.
He further said the empowerment programme will be executed nationwide. He however appealed to unemployed Nigerians across the federation to avail themselves of the rare job opportunities being presented by the NDE.
Tagged ‘Resettlement’, the empowerment tools comprise sewing machines, computers, knitting machines and catering equipment.
The Directorate also re-launched its skill acquisition programmes and schemes in Katsina State in a bid to ensure that more unemployed Nigerians in the state are accommodated in the ongoing job creation and empowerment programme.
In his remarks, Katsina State governor, through his representative, Alhaji Gwajo-Gwajo, eulogised President Buhari for granting loans worth hundreds of millions of naira to the youths and women groups in the state.
He appealed to Nigerians to support the efforts of the President towards ensuring a better Nigeria for all. The governor also seized the opportunity to enumerate various efforts of his government towards job creation in the state.
Meanwhile, the Emir of Daura, His Royal Highness (Dr) Umar Farouk Umar, appreciated the Federal Government for its efforts at job creation. He thanked the Director-General of the NDE for bringing the empowerment programme to Daura for the benefit of hundreds of the youths in the city.
However, he appealed to Nigerians to partner with the Federal Government in the fight against banditry and terrorism.
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