Stories by Martin Paul
Abuja
The federal government social investment programme aimed at recruiting 500,000 graduate teacher and 100,000 trainees has received 749,000 applications as at the close of the online portal on 31st of August.
The Special Assistant to the President on Social Investment Programme, Mariam Uwais, who stated this while speaking to journalists in Abuja, said applications were received from the 774 local government areas and of the country and FCT with the highest applicants coming from Lagos, Oyo, Rivers and Bauchi.
She disclosed a process to collate the applications had started and the training of successful applicants would soon commence by October, adding that the training would last for one month after which the participants would be deployed to states to provide extension services.
She disclosed that the participants would be provided with a training device which would be used for the extension services, adding that the aim of the programme was to help young Nigerians acquire and develop lifelong skills, become solution providers in their communities and become players in the domestic and global industries.
Uwais explained that the programme had been divided into three sections namely, Paid Volunteer Teacher Corps for Graduate (N-Power Corps), Training and Empowerment for Knowledge Work (N-power Knowledge) Build Nigeria Programme for Training and Empowerment of Artisans (N-power Build).
She added that the aim of the N-Power Corps was to provide temporary jobs in the area of primary education, agriculture, public health and community education, adding that the programme, which would last for two years, was targeted at employing 50,000 unemployed graduate.
She said trainees would be deployed to their immediate rural and local communities, where they would assist in improving the inadequacies in the education, health and and agricultural sectors, adding that states government would assist in deployment of beneficiaries to the communities.
The N-Power Knowledge, according to her, would train 25,000 Nigerians in the area of technology, and N-Power Build, would train another 75,000 in the areas of building services, construction, utilities, hospitality and catering, automotive vocations, aluminum and gas services.
“Besides their monthly take home pay estimated at about N23, 000, the selected 500,000 graduates will also get computer devices that will contain information necessary for their specific engagement, as well as information for their continuous training and development. They get to keep the devices even after exiting the programme.
“According to the plan of the Buhari administration, the N-Power Teacher Corps programme is an invaluable opportunity for young Nigerians to make immense economic and social contributions to the nation while developing their skills.
“It will also help to address the problems of inadequate teachers in public schools”, she added.
