For the agency to actualise the kernel for its establishment by the federal government, the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has charged the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to devise more innovations to create profitable jobs for Nigerian youths.
Oyebanji advised the job-creation agency to conceptualise ideas to create more productive jobs and wealth in the system that will fight poverty and mass unemployment in the country.
Oyebanji said this in Ado Ekiti, while interacting with the leadership of the NDE during a courtesy call to the governor’s office, on Wednesday.
The governor, represented by his Deputy, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, said the snowballing unemployment and poverty rates among the youths make it expedient for the agency to be more innovative to overcome these daunting challenges.
The Governor stated that the nation is replete with industrious and creative youths, who could make the nation great if well empowered, saying NDE has a pivotal role to play in this regard.
He said: “The rate of unemployment globally is high, but that of Nigeria is unusually very high and the government has been doing everything to reduce it.
“Any responsible government will find opportunities to create jobs and the government of Governor Biodun Oyebanji makes human capital development and job creation a pillar of his administration. Making our youths the pivot of the economy is very dear to his heart.
“Due to unemployment, crimes like robbery, banditry, kidnapping, ritual killings, internet fraud are very high. I commend the NDE for its responsiveness to empower our youths and bail them out of poverty.
“But I urge you to make some deft initiatives by taking some innovations to make the youths of this state and Nigeria in general employers of labour, rather than job seekers”.
Oyebanji admonished the agency to be more vigilant in dealing with their graduate trainees, who often mismanaged or diverted the take off capitals given to them by the federal government to kickstart their businesses.
He added: “This is one key area your agency must work on, don’t allow our graduate trainees to plunder the resources being offered them as take off grants.
“There was a need to monitor them thoroughly and ascertain their stages of growth. This is the best way to achieve the objectives of the FG in the training and empowerment of our productive population”.
Reeling out actions being taken to battle poverty in the country, the NDE’s State Director, Mr. Olugbenga Sanusi, said the agency has been pursing zealously the designed programme of actions geared towards combating mass youth unemployment, poverty and restiveness .
Sanusi stated that the focus of the federal government was to abate the social repercussions of the aforementioned scourges in the society.
The NDE boss revealed that the agency currently has in the pipeline Basic Business Taining and Community Based Training Scheme that would empower unemployed Ekiti youths at the urban and rural areas.
Sanusi said: “Under the Basic Business Training, we will train artisans on how to professionally transact their businesses. Many of those doing businesses don’t have the requisite knowledge. They will be thought the basic technical know-how that can make them become entrepreneurs.
“This training will cover young school leavers, people with low education, sex workers, widows, and unemployed graduates.
“The Community Based Training Scheme will be majorly communal-based and make people self sufficient. Instead of bringing this to urban centres, it will be taken to the rural areas.
“Training will cover professionals in areas like catering and event services, events planning, electrical installation, photography, cosmetology, soap making , deodorant and disinfectant production, among others”.