By Ifeoma Aka
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has embarked on registration of all unemployed people in Nigeria with a view to engaging them in productive ventures.
The Enugu State Coordinator of the agency, Mrs Ifeoma Ezekwe, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Enugu.
Ezekwe said that the exercise was being held across the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT, Abuja.
She said that the registration was going on simultaneously across the 774 local government areas (LGAs) nationwide, adding that it was for all classes of unemployed; and with or without any educational qualifications.
According to her, the essence of the exercise is to capture all unemployed persons to help the country with proper planning, as well as engage them in profitable ventures with a view to curbing crime and boosting economic development.
“The country cannot plan without data, data is very important in planning, and NDE since 1987, had been in the business of reducing the number of unemployed people, making them employers of labour and self-employed.
“I was appointed the state coordinator in May 2022, and I am fortunate to serve under the current Director-General of NDE, Malam Nuhu Fikpo, whom I call employment generator.
“I call him employment generator because since he came on board, we have never had a minute rest without activities and programmes,” Aka said.
Ezekwe explained that NDE had four key programmes which included; vocational skills, small skills enterprises, rural empowerment and special public works.
She said that the state directorate just concluded training of women on bags and shoes making, so that as full time housewives, they could have a vocation and earn some money.
According to the NDE official, when the directorate trains people, they give stipends as transportation fare to enable them go for the trainings.
Aka, who however, said the NDE had faced challenges such as paucity of funds and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Naira re-design policy, expressed optimism that the directorate would be able to discharge its mandate.
Ezekwe called on the state government to assist the agency with vehicles that could be used to access the hard to reach LGAs in the state.
(NAN)
