Acting Director-General National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Mallam Abubakar Nuhu has assured the supervising minister in charge of the agency, Festus Keyamo, legislators, and other collaborating partners that its field workers were dedicated to implementing the 774.000 jobs.
Speaking during the flag-off of the Extended Special Public Works programme, Nuhu said the programme was designed as tools to touch the lives of about 774.000 unemployed Nigerians across the country in the next three months.
He said:“Our communities will receive a facelift through the activities of the participants as they will engage in various community/environment-specific public works activities ranging from drainage, clearing and maintenance, vegetation control, feeder roads maintenance, irrigation, great green wall, and orchard maintenance among others.”
The NDE boss reiterated that the participants were provided with all appropriate working tools as well as protective wears for their daily work schedule.
Flagging off the programme, Minister of state for labour and employment, Mr Keyamo said t would provide the necessary economic palliatives to the 774,000 unemployed youths.
The SPW is expected to last three months during which the 774,000 youths engaged will earn a stipend of N20, 000 monthly.
Keyamo said the youths who participated in the project may deploy the skills acquired to become self-employed.
“In addition, the government, and the organised private sector may in due course create/provide exit options,” he said.
“It is also aimed at shielding the most vulnerable from the ravaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which include, but are not limited to, pervasive hunger, poverty environmental degradation, and joblessness.
“The need to quickly address the above mentioned informed the decision to implement the ESPW. Our target is to immediately engage the 774,000 selected unemployed Nigerians for the programme to execute carefully selected projects across the 774 local government areas in the country,” Keyamo said.
