The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration of the All Progressives Congress has moved an inch towards creating job opportunities for Nigerian youths as promised during the 2015 election campaign period.
The Federal Government says it has employed 200,000 graduates who will work for only two years as teachers and agricultural extension workers throughout the country. The 200,000 unemployed graduates selected in this first batch of the N-power Social Investment Programme will start working in two weeks.
An online newspaper, The Cable reported that the new employees would be paid N30, 000 per month, which would be paid directly into their accounts.
Speaking in Abuja at the second presidential economic communication workshop organised by the office of the vice-president on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the VP on media and publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said out of the fresh employees, 150,000 would work as teachers while the remaining 50,000 would work as extension workers.
Meanwhile, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who spoke at a colloquium on ‘The Way Forward for Nigeria’ in Lagos on Friday, said the employment of 200,000 persons is the first batch of the Volunteer Job Programme that is to commence in about two weeks.
Osinbajo said, “The delay is because we are trying to provide as many equipment as we require. We also want to ensure that we provide opportunities across the states. Close to a million registered; we should start with the first 200,000 in 14 days or thereabout. It is a temporary opportunity for young graduates.”
At the event, which was organised by Coalition of Nigerian Apostolic Leaders, the Vice-President said the government was trying to create jobs directly while creating space for more private sector activities to facilitate economic growth.
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