Showing posts with label Economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Economy. Show all posts

NDE Disburses Facilities To Beneficiaries Of Agricultural Enhancement Scheme In FCT

By Otobong Gabriel, Abuja

As parts of its strategic steps to addressing the rising rate of unemployment in Nigeria, the National Directorate of Employment, Federal Capital Territory has flagged off the orientation for the Provision of facilities to 48 NDE trained beneficiaries of the Agricultural Enhancement Scheme (AES) to enable them establish off-farm agribusinesses.

Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo said the flag off is running simultaneously in fourteen (14) states of the federation including FCT, with seven hundred (700) beneficiaries to enable them start up their off-farm agribusinesses in their chosen areas of interest to become self-employed, create wealth and generate employment opportunities for others.
The NDE boss who was represented by Mrs Chikodi Ike said the Directorate has been in the forefront of sensitizing, counseling and reorienting the minds of unemployed youths to deemphasize the search for nonexisting white collar jobs and embrace skill acquisition provided by NDE as a viable option to wage employment and equally as a deliberate choice to self reliance. And advised beneficiaries to see this gesture as a rare opportunity which should not be allowed to fail.

Also speaking, the NDE-FCT state Coordinator, Mr. Chimereze Noble said NDE federal capital territory is given out facilities to 48 beneficiaries across the six area councils of the FCT to enable them turn their acquired skills into viable agribusinesses that will not only make them self-employed but also employers of labour.

And advised beneficiaries not to undermine their humble beginning, that little drops of water makes a mighty ocean, and reminded them that, its a loan facility that they're expected to upset  so that others can also benefit.

In her goodwill message, the Deputy Director Rural Employment Promotion REP department, Oruoyehu Beatrice ably represented by Mrs Harris Oliver said the REP department has been generating employment opportunities for the unemployed youths in Nigeria through its strategic training programmes in modern agricultural skills and empowerment in agribusiness engagements.

Adding that, the program trains unemployed youths in agricultural value chain activities such as production, storage, processing, post harvest handling and management, preservation, packaging, marketing, agricultural extension, rural sociology and off- farm activities as well as other innovative and technological driven skills in agricultural sector.


Representing the beneficiaries, Mr. Chukwudi Kalu Joseph thanked the the leadership of NDE for the opportunity given them through the facility and promised to make good use of it to build their agribusinesses and create wealth for themselves and others.


CNG kicks against NLC's move over subsidy removal


By Blessing Bature 

The Coalition of Northern Groups CNG, has argued that the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC has lost every claim to competence to speak for or act on behalf of the generality of the people beyond servicing the interest of a limited constituency of less than one percent of the total population of Nigerians.

The spokesperson of the CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said this on Thursday in a press statement alerting Nigerian public to guard against being dragged unto a flight without knowing its actual destination as set up by the NLC but should rather hold the Independent oil marketers responsible for the sudden deterioration of the prices of Petroleum a few hours after the announcement by government on the subsidy. 

"The public should note that by its antecedents of betraying public confidence, the NLC has lost every claim to competence to speak for or act on behalf of the generality of the people beyond servicing the interest of a limited constituency of less than one percent of the total population of Nigerians:.

CNG in the light of the above observations therefore called on the new administration of President Bola Tinubu to handle this obviously dicey situation with utmost wisdom and compassion so that the innocent public is not made victim. 

Abdul-Azeez also call on the attention of the Tinubu administration to be vigilant over the latent trap set for it with the subsidy issue by the outgone government aiming to set it on a collision course with the public early in the day".

He advised government to deploy maximum wisdom, and caution to chart a workable means of dealing with the bad situation deliberately thrown on its laps in such a way that no one gets hurt. 

"Government should device compassionate ways of cushioning the impact of the subsidy removal without necessarily compromising its economic recovery policies.

"We demand from the Federal Government action to call the syndicate that have siphoned the trillions of Naira of public funds during the previous regime in the name of a fictitious, fraudulent oil subsidy to account".

CNG encouraged the Federal Government not to be distracted by the antics of discredited self-serving labour leaders, unscrupulous oil marketers and a few unpatriotic officials of the NNPCL who would seize every opportunity to undermine its good intentions. 

"This quick hike and desperation to hoard the commodity is aimed at stocking anger against the new administration by the few who benefit from the trillions of the subsidy sum among the marketers and NNPCL officials."