HOTPEN – Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, the Director General, National Directorate of Employment, (NDE), has urged unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions to make the best use of the directorate’s training workshops opportunities to transform their lives from job seekers to employers of labour.
Fikpo made the Statement in Warri, Delta State at the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Start-Your-Own-Business, (SYOB), and NDE Economic and Financial Counselling Clinic, NDE-efcc) training workshops for unemployed graduates of tertiary institutions, assuring that the steps will create wealth for them and others.
While regretting that despite the positive contributions of the directorate over the years, the situation has persisted and exacerbated by recent global crises, he said NDE through the support of the federal government and collaborating agencies has continued to vigorously tackle the problem of the youth unemployment and employment creation.
“This situation has been fingered as the major cause of the anti-social and criminal tendencies of youths in the country. In an effort to further contribute to the resolution of the problem, the current federal government has made employment generation a cardinal objective in order to tackle the problem head-on.
“Realising that his current emphasis of the federal government falls within the mandate of the NDE, the Small Scale Enterprises, (SSE), department which has the responsibility for entrepreneurial development and business set-ups for the youths has come up with the Start-Your-Own-Business, (SYOB), and NDE Economic and Financial Counselling Clinic, NDE-efcc)
“These activities has gone a long way in not only addressing the prevalent skills, mis-match and bridging the gap that exist between our educational system curricular, economic and industrial needs, but is also producing a specialized group of middle class who will be the engine of growth of our economy”.
He recalled that the unemployment challenge has been here with us since it reared its ugly head in the 1980’s while the federal government reacted promptly by establishing NDE to tackle the escalating unemployment situation.
In his remarks, Acting Coordinator, (NDE), Delta State, Mr Onyeogo Sylvanus, said the five days training is for those who are willing to be self-employed, strategically designed by the NDE to inculcate in them the spirit of entrepreneurship and inject youthful and elite blood into micro and medium enterprises.
He said the major objective of the training is to provide the participants with the competence needed in writing good and bankable feasibility study reports towards the establishment of their businesses, equip them with the capacity to manage their finances and enterprises effectively and efficiently to meet the vision, mission and objectives of their enterprises.
Earlier, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barr Festus Keyamo, represented by Hon Collins Mukoro, has advised the beneficiaries to use the money given to them well so that in the next few years they can be employers of labour, make money for themselves and the nation and take people out of the streets.
©Independent