THE Federal Government’s plans to deploy the training and skills acquisition centres established by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for the training of unemployed persons that would benefit from its intended payment of N5,000 stipend, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has said.

Ngige, who disclosed this in Abuja, recently, hinted that the skills and programme would include people that would earn even more than the stipulated N5,000 monthly.

He further stated that Nigeria has various skills acquisition centers, which underscores the need to lay high premium on the training of youth.

“The NDE have over 120 centres scattered all over the country. We also have those that have been built by state government and we want to capture all of these into that scheme and then get people to the scheme to be bricklayers, POP designers, builders, welders, electronics repairers and the one they called mechanic, repair of vehicles, automobile carpentry, painting and fabrication of all sorts,” he explained.

For the umpteenth times, Ngige again explained that the stipend of N5,000 promised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government for unemployed youths would not be a handout to indolent people.

While declaring that no country in the world gives free money to its citizens, he stressed that the Federal Government would ensure that youths are trained in various skills and programmes to justify the stipend.

He added: “We also have the programme on the commission cash transfer. Government would not pay N5,000 for people to be indolent. No country in the world would pay people to go home and sleep and collect cash. So, Nigeria would not be an exception. We will pay some people N5,000; we will pay some N10,000 and even for people in teacher conversion scheme, we will pay more than N10,000 and N15,000 as stipend while in training, and then after the training, they are going to be employed by state government and the Federal Government in different institutions.

It is not a programme we shall run alone; the state governments are going to buy into it. They are going to synchronize with us. We are going to do it in synergy.”

Ngige who also stated that some of the programmes would cut across the ministries of education, agriculture and labour, explained, adding, “agriculture, because we have some agricultural universities, we will convert some people to teach the relevant agricultural science.”

Indeed, the NDE also has agricultural parks in Katsina and Ondo states where various skills in agro-businesses are offered.

In a related development, the Minister has lauded members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) for their immense contribution to the development of the Nigerian economy, describing road transport as pivotal.

The Minister gave the commendation in Abuja when the NURTW executive led by its President, Najeem Yasin paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

He maintained that road transportation carries the largest volume of passengers especially in the Nigerian economy adding that it accounts for about 85% in the transportation of persons and goods in the country.

He stressed the importance of road transport describing it as a necessary tonic to the economic development of Nigeria, which the Federal Government cannot afford to neglect.

While thanking the Union for condoling him on the death of his father, late Pa Akunnia Pius Okonkwo Ngige, he charged the Union executive to be diligent and dutiful in running the affairs of the Union to sustain the industrial harmony being enjoyed in the industry.

In his address, the President of NURTW, Yasin, congratulated the Minister on his appointment as the Minister of Labour and Employment, stressing that the union will explore areas of mutual interest that could have positive impact on the long existing cordial relationship between it and the Ministry of labour and Employment.