Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Silas Agara, has explained that the agency adopted use of online portal system for recruitment of 93,731 unskilled and unemployed persons across Nigeria in its ongoing Renewed Hope Employment Initiative to give equal opportunity to every Nigerian youth in the scheme.
Speaking with the Tribune during his working visit to Kwara state, the DG of the NDE said that the agency is committed to the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu,especially, in the area of creation job opportunities for the teeming youth.
Agara also said that use of online portal system was adopted to check double or multiple registration, adding that, “Before, some youth benefitted from NDE programme twice or thrice in a year.
“They got starter packs and left, denying some other youths, while some people benefitted separately in the NDE and migrate to SMEDAN and then ITF etc to get training and starter packs”.
The DG said that certain security features and devices had been included on the portal to minimize issue of multiple registration, adding that, “It may not be perfect, but the measure was put in place to correct lapses that were identified in the past”.
He said that the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative programme was designed to accommodate a minimum of 10 youth in every ward nationwide, adding that there is community buy-in of the programme nationwide.
“We’re using portal system to give equal opportunity to every Nigerian youth. It’s not a matter of issuing forms to who knows who. Opportunities are given to those that are qualified and applied and are within the age bracket of 18-35 years, who must apply with NIN.
Agara, who resumed duty July 2024, said, “We can’t give excuse to Nigerians that we’re just coming in. Nigerian youths are tired of that. Our mandate is to create employment opportunity to the teeming youth and to have data bank of unemployed youth in the country.
He, however, explained that the mandate of the NDE is not to issue employment letters to youth to work in ministries or government parastatals, but to design programme for job opportunities, “which are already being implemented”.
He said that a minimum of 10 persons from each of the 8,809 electoral wards in Nigeria were recruited to benefit from the 30 skill sets across four core programmes of Vocational Skills Development, Small Scale Enterprises, Rural Employment Promotion and Special Public Works.
The NDE boss, who said that the scheme was in collaboration with the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, added that the initiative is a modest short term effort at checking the scourge of unemployment in Nigeria.
He also said that various categories of the unskilled and unemployed were provided for within the framework of the programme, such as school leavers, school dropouts, women, graduates of tertiary institutions, retirees and persons with special needs, among others.
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The NDE director general said that a good number of the beneficiaries will be resettled into productive entrepreneurial lives through provision of tools, equipment and startup capital, adding that those that could not be resettled will be linked with credit granting institutions for further support.
“NDE under my watch has ensured the adoption of cutting edge technology in the design and execution of this programme. For instance, all applicants registered through our online portal which has enabled us to establish for the first time, a credible database of our beneficiaries”, he said.
He also said that 40,000 out of the 93,731 persons enrolled in the programme will receive training in ICT and digital skills, adding that it is a deliberate step by the NDE to equip youths with emerging skills that will enable them become globally competitive.
He was optimistic that lots of youth would participate in the next training programme being planned after the end of the ongoing one by February 2025.
He also said that community markets would be flagged off in the six geopolitical zones of the country, “Where NDE would build the markets and give to communities.
“It would benefit our participants already trained in the job creation programme to improve on their vocation, display their wares and products for people to patronize them. The first flag off is in Osun state.”
NIGERIAN TRIBUNE