By Amaechi Okwara
Asaba
Over 12, 000 unemployed youths in Delta state are jostling to be absorbed into World Bank, European Union and Delta State Sponsored State Employment and Expenditure for Result (SEEFOR), jobs meant to accommodate only 400 persons.
The applicants cut across the three senatorial districts of the state namely; Asaba, Warri, Ughelli, Udu, Sapele, Uvwie with Asaba recording the highest number of job seekers with no fewer than 5,000 as contained in the SEEFOR data board.
State coordinator of the project, Mr. Benson Ojoko, who revealed this in Asaba, the Delta state capital, said the figure notwithstanding, the project had a long- term capacity of engaging over 10,000 persons of unemployed youths in the state.
Ojoko said the engagement had a contractual term of 12 months with N20, 000 monthly stipends, adding that the partnering agencies had gone some steps ahead in making the beneficiaries become life time entrepreneurs.
However, he said they would be enrolled into skill acquisition centres with plans to equip them with starter packs at the end of their six months’ training, adding that the skills acquisition would commence at the termination of the 12 months engagement with the project.
“The intention of the partnering agencies is not only to continue to make them life-time beneficiaries, but also to make them entrepreneurs that will soon become renowned employers of labour,” he said.
The coordinator said they would also be engaged in “Labour Intensive Public Works” tidings of the project which included road maintenance, sweeping and cleaning of roads, painting of kerbs and planting of trees/flowers among others.
He advised them to take the job seriously and form the habit of savings whenever they received salaries, saying that the scheme had marshalled out plans to help them save at least five per cent of their monthly stipends.
