The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Baba Shehuri has said that 27,000 unemployed Youths and women would benefit from the Extended Special Public Works Programme, ESPWs, of the National Directorate of Employment across the 27 Local Government Areas, LGA, of Borno State.
The minister who disclosed this during the official flag- off of the Programme held in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Wednesday said the initiative is aimed at cushioning the economic effect of the COVID- 19 Pandemic, create jobs and promote the maintenance of critical infrastructure at the community levels in all the 774 LGAs across the country.
He said the programme would create 774,000 jobs for unemployed Nigerian youths and women across the country with the recruitment of 1,000 youth per LGA and engage them in various community work that will benefit their respective communities.
The project which will cost the Federal Government the sum of N1.62 Billion as direct allowance to be paid to the participants across the nation, was formally flagged off at the National level on the 5th of January, 2021,on behalf of the Federal Government by the Minister of State, Labour and Employment and Chairman, NDE board/ Supervising Minister of NDE, Festus Keyamo.
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He noted that ” the Federal Government implemented the pilot Special Public Programme in the Rural Areas of 8 selected states which included Borno State, the pilot programme engaged 5,000 unemployed persons- 1,000 / LGA in 5 LGAs of the State as pilot scheme.”
He further said that the success recorded from the implementation of the pilot program in 8 states convinced the President to expand the initiative to cover all states of the Federation.
The Minister mentioned that NDE has created enormous jobs via its four core program for indigenes of Borno State and assured participants that ” we will monitor your progress on the job to ensure that resources are judiciously committed to the programme “.
Shehuri commended the President for the historic initiative and urged the people of Borno to complement the Federal Government‘s effort by promoting peace and security in a sustainable manner in the State.
In his remarks, the Executive Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, represented by the Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his administration people’s oriented programme geared towards uplifting Nigerians out of poverty and repositioning the country for a better future.
