NDE engages 1,680 unskilled, unemployed persons in Taraba

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) said it has engaged 1,680  unskilled and unemployed Tarabans under the President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Empowerment Initiative in the state.

The event is part of a nationwide rollout aimed at addressing unemployment by engaging vulnerable groups across the country.

The director- general of NDE, Silas Agara, who stated   while commencing orientation for 1,680 unskilled and unemployed persons in the state said they were part of the 93,731 renewed hope employment initiative by the NDE in collaboration with  the Federal Ministry of Himanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

He added that the beneficiaries were drawn from the 168 electoral wards across the 16 local government councils of Taraba state.

"The current employment initiative has been designed to engage a total of 93,731 unskilled and unemployed persons across Nigeria.

"We have ensured that a minimum of 10 beneficiaries from each of the 8,809 electoral wards in Nigeria were recruited to benefit from the 30 skill set for four programmes.

"The four programmes include Vocational skill Development, Small Scale Enterprises, Rural Employment Promotion and Special Public Works Department," he said.

Represented by Taraba State coordinator National Directorate of Employment, Chris Bamsida, Agara said all beneficiaries registered through the online portal, which enabled the employment to have a credible database.

He noted that 40,000 out of the 93,731 persons would be receiving training in ICT and digital skills as a deliberate step to equip Nigeria youth with engineering skills to enable them become globally competitive. 

The DG commended Malam Muhammudu Dingyadi, the Minister of Labour and Employment and Dr NkeirukaOnyejiocha, the Minister of State, Labour and Employment and supervising Minister for NDE for their support.During the ceremony, Hon. Abdullahi Lauya, a member representing Ardo-Kola/Karim Lamido/Lau Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, lauded the initiative. Represented by Dr. Isa Muhammad, Hon. Lauya commended the transparency and dedication of the state coordinator and expressed optimism about the initiative's success, emphasizing its potential to transform the lives of beneficiaries.

Prominent figures, including Mr. Abalaka Alfred from Agro-Allied Processing and Hajiya Mariya Bello from the Voice of Women Initiatives, joined the event. Also present was Comrade Sa'adatu Usman and other representatives of security agencies. They collectively encouraged beneficiaries to maximize the opportunities presented by the program by putting their newly acquired skills and equipment to good use.

The orientation ceremony marks a significant step toward reducing unemployment and improving livelihoods across the state and the nation at large.