Beneficiaries of the 774, 000 jobs of the Federal Government (FG), anchored by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), have been charged to make adequate use of the empowerment to better their lives.
Delta State governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa dropped the advise on Tuesday 5th January 2021, at the formal flag-off of the Extended Special Public Works (ESPW), in Asaba.
Represented by the State Commissioner of Information, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, the governor said: “As a state, we are very much excited about this programme because to a very large extent it also falls in line with our philosophy to ensure that a number of our people are taken off from the unemployment market”.
He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, for not politicizing the programme.
“The president has thought it wise to empower through a palliative measure a number of Nigerians across the 36 states and indeed the 774 local government areas. We do acknowledge the turbulence that was experienced in the course of conceiving this programme both between the legislature and the Executive arm but we are happy that after such turbulence, we are now here today to flag-off this programme”.
He charged the 25, 000 beneficiaries from the state to take the programme seriously and invest instead of living in frivolities.
In his keynote address, the minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr. Festus Keyamo, represented by the Executive Director, Cabotage Services, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, noted that the ESPW was implemented in order to gauge its impact on addressing the ballooning population of the unemployed and rising insecurity in some parts of the country.
“Although the Expanded Special Public Works (ESPW) is an ephemeral strategy to last for three months, 5th January-4th April 2021.
“I am convinced that it will provide the necessary economic palliatives to these 774,000 unemployed youths.
“Let me emphasise that the youth who diligently participate in this project implementation may then deploy the knowledge and skills acquired to become self-employed while government and the organised private sector may in due course create or provide exit options”, he stated.
“This strategy was adopted to fast-track the achievement of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan”, stressing that the need to address the negative impact of the Covid-19, informed the decision to implement he ESPW.
Also speaking, the Ag Director General, NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, who was also represented by the Delta state Director, Mr. Tony Olu, said the programme was designed as a veritable tool through which the lives of 774, 000 unemployed Nigerians would be positively touched in the next three months.
“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 many others”.
The programme has 1000 participants in each local government area.
