THE National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has kickstarted a strategic move to reposition the job creation agency of the Federal Government in a bid to adapt and operationalise the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda, especially in the area of job creation.
NDE made this known last week in Abuja at a meeting where it briefed its supervising minister, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, the Minister of State Labour and Employment. Tagged: Developing a Roadmap for NDE with the Framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda? The meeting had all the Directors and State Coordinators of the Directorate in attendance.
Speaking at the meeting, the State Labour Minister charged the NDE management to assume a more significant role in lifting Nigerians out of poverty by providing sustainable jobs.
She said the NDE is a critical agency in the fight against poverty in Nigeria, saying that NDE’s role is more crucial than ever before as the Federal Government under the leadership of President Tinubu is working towards propelling the nation towards a sustained progressive economy and job creation.
Onyejeocha also said the current administration has weaved its employment policy around skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development for blue collar jobs and that the NDE is a catalyst in the attainment of the President’s desire to lift 50 million Nigerians out of poverty.
She therefore called on the NDE to strengthen strategic initiatives to create more decent jobs and to be ready to translate the articulated policies of government into tangible realities.
She also charged the NDE to focus on the youth, women, and vulnerable groups to build the core skills needed for national revival, growth, and prosperity. She also stressed the need to increase the tempo of sensitization and awareness for the skills acquisition programmes and entrepreneurship development initiatives of the Directorate.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Director General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, who unveiled the reason for the meeting, said the new roadmap is part of the Directorate’s determination and targeted efforts aimed at translating President Tinubu’s eight-point agenda in the area job creation to a reality in the lives of many unemployed Nigerians. He reiterated the NDE’s track records and successes in job creation through skills acquisition schemes and programmes.
“I am glad to inform you that this meeting is at the instance of the Honourable Minister of State, Labour and Employment who deemed it necessary to reposition the NDE as an effective instrument of the Federal Government towards the critical role of job creation. “
“For the NDE to play this role effectively, a clear roadmap that will direct its programmes and schemes has become necessary within the framework of the Renewed Hope Agenda. The vocational, entrepreneurial and agricultural skills acquisition programmes of the NDE, as well as activities in the public works sector are all in line with the economic policy thrust of the Federal Government which has special focus on employment creation for sustainable growth and development.
“The NDE has produced many successful entrepreneurs who are contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the nation. It has also produced a pool of artisans in the informal sector who have made significant contributions to the Nigerian domestic market.
The Directorate committed to not only the mandate of creating jobs for the teaming unemployed Nigerians but also to the provision of excellent opportunities for our numerous beneficiaries to gain access to the international business community and enhance their effective growth within the country. This is one of the basic reasons we participate in all the international trade fairs in the country.
“Under the Four Core programmes of the NDE unskilled and unemployed persons are exposed to various entrepreneurial, agricultural and vocational skills designed to equip them with critical skills and financial empowerment to successfully set up and run private enterprises.
“I am glad to state that in the last three years, we have made remarkable progress in the implementation of employment creation programmes. We have modified most of our job creation Schemes and created a spectrum of demand-driven skills set. This has generated over Four Million direct and indirect jobs thereby contributing modestly to stimulating the Nigerian economy. Where necessary, we would at this critical meeting, modify some of our programmes and schemes towards optimum standard and results.”
The DG also said; “We are also synchronizing job creation programmes with linkages to financial institutions to enhance our beneficiaries’ access to credit facilities.
“The realities and evidences of breakthroughs emanating from self-employment initiatives of the NDE have reinforced our belief in the efficacy of skills acquisition training, which globally, has demystified the seemingly intractable challenges of unemployment and poverty. To this end, we will continue to re-strategize as we are doing today regarding our processes and employment creation models to meet up with the challenges of unemployment which have become increasingly complex and dynamic.”
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