Clement Nnachi, Abakaliki
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has restated that a total of 5,000 unemployed youths from Ebonyi State are to be engaged in the newly-created Presidential Special Public Works programme geared towards curbing unemployment in the country.
Onu made the declaration, on Thursday, at Ishielu Local Government Area of the state on the occasion of the launch/ flag-off of the scheme.
The Minister said that the Federal Government’s Programme would tackle the menace of unemployment.
In his words, “Today, the Federal Government, through the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has demonstrated commitment to addressing the challenges posed by youths unemployment by the creation of 5,000 job opportunities for the youths in Ebonyi State.
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“It is worthy to note that Ebonyi State is one of the eight benefiting states nationwide in this first phase of the Special Public Works Scheme and indeed the only benefiting state in the south east geo-political zone of the country.”
Onu stated that the second and full nationwide phase of the scheme would result to the engagement of 185,000 youths across the country.
Earlier, in his speech, Director-General of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Dr. Nasir Mohammed Argungu, said that the Special Public Works Programme in Rural Areas was a Federal Government job programme which seeks to harness the abundant rural labour force in the country.
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The NDE boss said that under the first phase of the scheme, 40,000 unemployed youth and women were recruited from the eight participating states namely Borno, Adamawa, Ebonyi, Edo, Jigawa, Ekiti, Katsina and Kwara, respectively.
He outlined some of the public works activities to be undertaken by participants to include drainage digging. Irrigation canals, rural feeder roads maintainable, traffic control among others.
In an address, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, represented by his deputy, Kelechi Igwe, commended the Federal Government for the initiative, describing it as a ‘panacea in tackling the unemployment scourge’ in the country.
The occasion was attended by the Ebonyi State Coordinator of NDE, Mr. Marcel Ignoramuses, members of the state Executive Council, chairmen of local government areas of the state, among others.
