The Minister of State for Agriculture, Mustapha Shehuri, has said that 27,000 youths are engaged in Special Public Works (SPW) of the National Directorate of Employment in Borno.
According to him, the creation of 27,000 jobs in 27 councils will cost the Federal Government about N1.62 billion.
While flagging off programme on Wednesday, in Maiduguri, he said: “Specifically in this SPW job creation programme, 27,000 unemployed youths and women from all councils in Borno State, are selected to benefit directly,” he said, noting that N1.62 billion was earmarked for participants’ three months allowances.
Continuing, he said: “Today marks the actualization of the most grassroots based employment initiative in the history of the country,” he said.
He said that there are other Federal Government interventions that are ongoing in the agriculture, health, education and socioeconomic sectors.
The Director-General, National Directorate of Employment, NDE, Abubakar Fikpo, said: “We’re determined to meet the targets in job creation implementation in Borno State,” adding that the SPW programme has been designed to improve the lives of 774,000 unemployed youths in three months.
He said communities’ public works, including drainage evacuation and feeder roads maintenance; irrigation and the Great Green Wall are to be executed.
According to him, appropriate working tools, protective wears have also been provided to participants, and therefore urged them to cooperate with NDE, to fully implement the job creation programme.
On vocational skills development in the state, Shehuri said: “Over 10,435 youths, women and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), were trained and resettled under the open apprenticeship scheme and cosmetology.
He added that under the small scale enterprises programme, 21,369 IDPs, youths and women, were also trained and resettled under Agriculture Small Scale and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS), CBN and NDE collaboration.
While in the rural employment promotion programme, 1,593 unemployed persons were also trained and supported Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme.
“Over 50 unemployed persons were supported to start Micro Food Processing and Packaging Enterprise,” he said.
Responding, Governor Babagana Zulum said: “We’re today implementing the replication of the pilot job creation programme in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.”
According to him, it is a strategy to improve the lives of 774,000 unemployed youths in Nigeria, noting that the job creation programme will complement the return of 1.5 million IDPs to communities.
He urged the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamu, to grant special attention to Borno on restoring the livelihoods of IDP returnees.
