From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
In its efforts to boost job creation and diversification of the nation’s economy, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced the training of 190 unemployed youths and women in five categorised agricultural schemes in Kogi state.
The training which is under the Rural Employment Promotion Department of the NDE is aimed at encouraging unemployed youths and women to go into Agriculture as a way of tackling the menace of unemployment and the nation’s dwindling economy.
Speaking at the Flagg off ceremony, the Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo who was represented by the Kogi state Coordinator, Mallam Abubakar Zakari, said that the training would be spread into five schemes, namely; Agricultural Extension with 50 beneficiaries, Agricultural Enhancement -46, Sustainable Agricultural Development Empowerment -38, Graduates Agricultural Empowerment- 31 and Community Based Agricultural Empowerment- 25.
The DG also disclosed that already One Hundred Thousand Naira(N100,000) has been disbursed to the beneficiaries as loans to facilitate their vocation after the training.
Fikpo described Agriculture as the main stream of the nation’s economy because more than two-third of Nigerians depends on agriculture for their basic income and food security, asserting that research has shown that countries with higher agricultural growth, have lower poverty rates.
He reiterated the commitment of the Buhari led administration in Nigeria towards making farming more attractive to the benefit of both male and female folks.
The facilitator of the programme from NDE Headquarters, Abuja, Harris Okolie, in her goodwill message on behalf of the Director of Rural Employment Promotion Department, told the trainees not to see the cash benefits as a national cake but should rather consider the gesture as a loan that must be recovered back into Government’s Coffers with six months moratorium period of repayment.
Responding on behalf of the trainees, Mrs. Abuh Justina Ojodomo hailed NDE and President Muhammadu Buhari for considering them for the huge empowerment which she promised would be justified as the skills acquired and the cash loans would be judiciously utilised.
