Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri February 12, 2020
The Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, has inaugurated the Special Public Works (SPWs) empowerment programme for 40, 000 youths and women in Borno state. According to him, the special public works of Buhari administration in collaboration with National Directorate of Employment (NDE) involves development of youths and women in community development projects in their localities. Flagging off empowerment project Tuesday at Damboa, Borno state; he said: “This special program targets to empower women and youths in eight states of Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Katsina. Kwara, Jigawa and Ebonyi,” he said, disclosing that 1, 000 beneficiaries are to be drawn each from five Local Government Areas in Borno state.
He explained that federal government’s job creation programme; is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to bring out 10 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next decade. Keyamo therefore, encouraged youths and women to make good use of the “distributed and disbursed” empowerment kits and funds. He said the national empowerment programme (NEMP), was being first inaugurated in Damboa, Borno state and cross the nation. Reiterating Damboa’s empowerment flag off, Governor Babagana Zulum said: “This town used to be a stronghold of Boko Haram,” disclosing that the terrorists launch their attacks from Sambisa Forest and Lake Chad region.
He said that the decade long insurgency has also destroyed 70% of state’s infrastructural facilities in the health, education and housing sectors. Zulum noted that with relative peace and security, the state government has embarked on “resettlement and economic” recovery projects and programmes. While reiterating on partnership with NDE, he said that the directorate should uplift the living conditions of youths through skills acquisition and trades. “The last time I was in Abuja I visited the NDE headquarters, where we had a discussion with NDE’s Director-General, Dr. Nasir Argungu,” he said, adding that the discussion has culminated into the inauguration; address unemployment and poverty in the country. He also advised the 5, 000 beneficiaries not to misuse the money giving to you, as anybody found wanting will be delisted from the programme.
In his brief address, Dr. Argungu said that the job creation programme; is an initiative that will provided transient off farm season jobs to 1, 000 beneficiaries in each of the five Local Government Areas from eight participating states. “This will create 40, 000 direct transient jobs in rural areas of targeted eight states,” he said, noting that the affected states’ unemployment rates; are however higher than the national average. Lumani Garba, a Damboa beneficiary thanked the federal government for the empowerment, pledging that that they will employ the distributed kits and money for creation of more jobs.
