Malam Abubakar Jamo, the Jigawa State Coordinator, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for earmarking N25 billion for Nigeria Youth Investment Fund in the 2021 budget.
Jamo gave the commendation while reacting to Buhari’s budget presentation to the joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president during the budget presentation said the government recently introduced the N75 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund, which N25 billion was provided in the 2021 budget.
Jamo told NAN in Dutse that the gesture would go a long in tackling unemployment and reduce restiveness among the youths through the provision of functional skills.
He said that the gesture would also help to empower local manufacturers and producers through the production of starter kits and some working tools.
“For instance, tools such as cutlasses, rakes, head pans, hand gloves, rain boots, brick moulders can be manufactures locally.
“And most of these tools are manufactured locally, so not only youths but our local manufacturers will also benefit from the N75 billion,” he said.
The coordinator, therefore, advised youth to avail themselves the opportunity by enrolling in the directorate’s different skills acquisition programmes to avoid unemployment.
Jamo, who described skills acquisition as the panacea to the country’s unemployment challenge, said that youths need to equip themselves to be able to start and manage their own businesses.
According to him, youths can also be employers of labour if they manage the skills acquired very well because small businesses or micro and medium enterprises are the bedrock of any nation’s economy.
‘‘It is a known fact that federal, state and local governments have been introducing different skills acquisition programmes for our teeming youths.
‘‘So, with this proposal of N75 billion by the Federal Government for youth intervention in the 2021 budget, I am using this opportunity to call on our youths all over the country including graduates of tertiary institutions to enrol for NDE programmes to avoid being unemployed.
“It is our candid advice that our youths should take advantage of the presence of NDE in their respective states to acquire skills on different income generating trades as a matter of priority,’’ Jamo said. (NAN)
