Clement Idoko
The Federal Government on Monday flagged off the Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme (FPSEP) designed to boost the skills and welfare of workers in the country.
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, speaking at the formal launch of the programme in Abuja, decried the deplorable condition many civil servants found themselves in soon after retirement because of a lack of preparation for life after service.
Yemi-Esan, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office, Dr Ngozi Onwudiwe, noted the Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme (FPSEP) is a sub-initiative of one of the 6 pillars of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021 – 2025 (also known as FCSSIP 25).
The Entrepreneurship programme is expected to equip and empower prospective retirees with the knowledge that will help them flow effectively into productive life after retirement and for those that have more years in service, provide them with supplementary incomes through the agriculture business and its value chain.
Accordingly, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation is working in collaboration with the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) and the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) to ensure adequate implementation of the programme.
She added that the programme was developed out of the need to pay greater attention to the welfare of the Public Servants who constitute the administrative machinery for implementing Government policies and Programmes.
Yemi-Esan said: “The programme will create a window for those in Service to earn supplementary income to improve their quality of life, enable those retiring to cope with life after Service while at the same time contributing to the development of the other sectors of the economy and by implication increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country”.
The Head of Service explained that the programme consists of two components namely: Agripreneurship Start-up Scheme; and Pre-Retirement Training and Business Start-up Scheme.
“The setting up of the Agripreneurship Start-up Scheme is premised on the provisions of Section 2(b) Part 1 of the fifth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which permits Nigerian Public Servants to engage in farming while in Service.
“Hence both serving and exiting Public Servants can participate in this scheme.
“On the other hand, the Pre-Retirement Training and Business Start-up Scheme is tailored towards preparing Public Servants for life Post-Service by providing opportunities to acquire new skills for new career choices.
“It is hoped that the knowledge garnered from the training would be plugged into the agriculture and other business ventures that will enable them to create multiple sources of income for self-sustenance while in Service and after exiting the Service.
“I am delighted to inform you that a comprehensive curriculum has been developed for the Agripreneurship Start-up Scheme and we have six Farms participating in this first batch.
“It is our dream to see our workforce well empowered, skilful and more productive, and contributing meaningfully to the development of Nigeria even to the point of not just being employed but employers of labour within the provisions of extant rules,” she said.
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