BY MAIRIGA Juliana, Minna
Beneficiaries of the FADAMA 111 Graduate Unemployed Youth and Women Support (GUYS) programme in Niger state have been urged to support federal government to end unemployment by creating jobs through the skills acquired during the just concluded two weeks intensive training.
Vice Chancellor of the state owned, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), Lapai, Prof. Maiturare Nasiru made the observation during the closing ceremony/presentation of certificates to 300 beneficiaries of the World Bank sponsored, GUYS which took place at the Abdulsalam Youth centre, Minna.
Professor Maiturare who is one of the resource partners said, “With the two weeks training on relevant agro-business skills, you have no reason not to add to the agricultural development of the Nigerian economy by reducing Nigeria’s prevalent 20 or 30 percent unemployment rate”.
“As beneficiaries of the training which I termed, Positive attitude, Hard work and Decency (PHD) to keep you away from negative vices”, the Vice Chancellor cautioned them against diverting the grants derivable from the World Bank sponsored initiatives to other uses.
National Coordinator, FADAMA 111, Mr. Tayo Adewumi said the job creation concept of the scheme is part of the World Bank supported programme to reduce Nigeria’s graduate unemployment by at least 4, 176.
The national coordinator who was represented by Head of training, FADAMA 111, Mr. Goni Malah said the 4, 176 unemployed graduates drawn from across 23 states with Niger state as one of the pilot states were trained as entrepreneurs in agro-businesses to become trainers and job creators.
Adewumi who however did not explain the number of the unemployed graduates that would benefit from the World Bank’ financial grants to set up their agro-businesses simply said, “Some applied for N1 million which is the maximum while others applied for, N700, 000”.
Encouraging unemployed graduates to become employers of labour, the FADAMA national coordinator said it will not only end frustrations that led to increased cases of suicides and other social vices involving young Nigerians but change the country’s economy from being total oil based to agro-based economy.
Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubarkar Sani Bello in a keynote address said the state in supporting the job creation drive of the federal government engaged 250 youths and women in catering, tailoring and paint making skills while 351 were trained as agri-preneures.
Total dependent on crude oil for economic growth, Bello said have not only made Nigerians become lazy but glorified corruption, embezzlement of public funds and as well, plunged today’s Nigeria into the current socio-economic challenges hence the urgent need to diversify.
Governor Bello, represented by the state commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Kabir Musa Abbas commended the federal government for the World Banks’ FADAMA initiatives and urged the beneficiaries to be good ambassadors of the scheme and Nigeria by judicious utilization of the grants.
Leave a Reply