Federal Government - Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said 300,000 jobs are underway through the Federal Government's N-Power programme. No less than 200,000 have been employed through the scheme.
Mohammed said more than one million youths would benefit from the Bank of Industry Micro-credit scheme.
He spoke yesterday at the special edition of the Town Hall Meeting series dedicated to youths. He was with Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola; Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Agriculture Audu Ogbeh; Minister of Labour and Employment
Dr. Chris Ngige; Minister of State, Budget and National Planning Zainab Ahmed; and Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung.
A mild drama ensued when a participant accused President Muhammadu Buhari of abandoning youths. He said the President was on their side during his campaign and now he seemed to have forgotten them.
He urged the Mohanned to inform Buhari they will be waiting for him in 2019. But Dalung assured him and others the President had not changed and still remains the man of the people.
Mohammed said the government retained N500 billion in the 2017 budget for the Social Investment Programme.
He said: “Government is unrelenting in its efforts to ease the hardship in the land, especially youth unemployment, brought about by years of poor or lack of planning, profligacy, mismanagement of funds, massive corruption and lack of investment in social investment programmes. We did not create today’s hardship, but we are resolved to end it and make life more abundant for our people. There is no question about that. All we ask is your undiluted support. We have no doubt that, working with you, we will achieve our set goals.
“We are starting the Special Town Hall Meeting series with youths because of the importance this administration attaches to youth empowerment, youth development and youth engagement. We have no choice, because, according to the National Population Commission, more than half of Nigeria’s population is under 30 years of age! No government can afford to ignore this important demographic group, plus youths are no longer just leaders of tomorrow, but today’s leaders too!
“ It is also in recognition of this fact that the administration is investing massively in programmes that benefit youths, among others. I am talking here of programmes, such as the Social Investment Programme that includes the N-Power Volunteer Scheme; N-Power Job Creation Programme that provides loans for traders and artisans; Home-grown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfers to the most vulnerable members of our society and Family Homes Fund, a social housing scheme.
“As many of you are aware, 200,000 jobs were created in the first phase of the N-Power Volunteers Programme. That is perhaps the highest number of jobs that have been created in one fell swoop by any government in the history of our country. Some 300,000 jobs are next in line, to make it 500,000 jobs. These jobs benefit mostly youths, who will be engaged in education, health care and agriculture.
“Also, the Home-grown School Feeding has taken off in three states - Anambra, Kaduna and Osun. It is being scaled up to 11 of 18 states designated for the first phase. Already, some 25,000 cooks have been trained in nine states. Concerning the Conditional Cash
Transfer, the data of beneficiaries in nine states are ready, and the payment process for those states is in top gear.
“For the Micro-credit scheme, more than one million Nigerians are set to get loans at low interest rates through the Bank of Industry. The loans range from N20,000 to N100,000. The pilot scheme is taking place in eight states and in the Federal Capital Territory.
“There is more good news. To sustain this important Social Investment Programme, the N500 billion for the programme has been retained in the 2017 budget, which was recently presented to the National Assembly by Mr. President.”
He noted that the country’s transition from analogue to digital broadcasting would create one million jobs.
“On our part at the Ministry of Information and Culture, we are leveraging on the creative industry, which is youth-driven, to create jobs and unleash the huge potential of our youths. We have signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council to train festival managers, build capacity of youths and link the creative industry with the business world,” he said.
Fashola announced that an MoU was signed with the CBN to assist the two meter manufacturing companies cleared by the ministry to get funds for their operations.
Ogbeh urged youths to embrace farming where $22 million opportunity awaits them. He also said for those who would like to go into farming, fertiliser would be available for N5,000, because of the MoU signed with the King of Morocco.
He also said the ministry was working on certification for the country’s agricultural products to U.S and other developed countries.
Mrs. Adeosun said the country was coming out of the most difficult period.
Source: The Nation