Implementation plans for the effective
commencement of a number of the
social investment programmes of the
Buhari presidency has reached
advanced stages as the selection of the
first 200,000 unemployed graduates to
get jobs is now being completed.
Speaking with a small group of radio
journalists and producers at the
Presidential Villa, Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo disclosed that “we expect that
before the end of the month, we will
engage 200,000,” out of the 500,000
unemployed graduates the Buhari
administration plans to hire in the N-
Power jobs programme.
According to him, the direct
government jobs is meant “to keep
this young people occupied, pay them
some amount of money and also give
them a device, which will also help
them to learn several skills that they
can develop as time goes on.”
Prof. Osinbajo added that “we expect
that before the end of this month, we
should have engaged 200,000 of them
and we are hoping that before the end
of the year we should have engaged
more.”
Similarly, Mr. Osinbajo disclosed that
the Home-Grown School Feeding
programme is set to kick off in several
states this month.
“Definitely before the end of this
month, we expect that several states
would have come on stream with their
Home-grown School Feeding
Programmes,” the Vice President
noted.
He added that the Home-Grown School
Feeding programme “will energise
agriculture in the different states
because it is what you plant that you
feed the children with, we will be
hiring caterers, cooks, etc in each state
because it will be Federal Government
funded from Primaries 1-3 and the
state governments hopefully would be
able to cater for the other classes.”
According to the Vice President, the Home-Grown
School Feeding programme is another section of the
Social Investment programmes that impact directly
on the lives of Nigerian children and families. He
said several states will start implementing the Home-
grown School Feeding Programme before the end of
October.
Equally he stated that the Micro-Credit scheme for
which the Buhari administration will give very low-
cost loans to more than one million Nigerian
artisans, traders, market women and other ranging
from N60,000 to N100,000 would also be kicking off
this month.
According to him, “for women across the country,
we are giving loans, micro credit loans to about 1.5
million women. We are focusing on market women
and artisans, loans between N60,000 and 100,000
each. We are working through the Bank of Industry,
BOI. They are going to be giving out these loans,
we‘ve already identified the banks and everybody
who is involved in this. We should be flagging-off
hopefully before the end of this month”
Such soft loans to the artisans, traders and market
women, according to him, is meant “to boost their
businesses.”
The Vice President reassured Nigerians that the
current Federal Government led by President
Muhammadu Buhari is well focused on ameliorating
the plight of the citizens of the country, observing
that the administration feels the pains of the citizens
and is committed to assuaging them.
“We fully understand and appreciate the situation of
things in the country and we are committed to
ensuring that that pain is assuaged. The President
stated that clearly in his October 1st broadcast to the
nation. All his life, he has been a salary earner, he
has never been a businessman, so he understands
why someone who earns a salary and even those
who do not, are severely challenged at this time of
economic recession such as we are experiencing,”
he said.
On the economy, Vice President Osinbajo said
government is committed to developing it, to enable
citizens find opportunities within the country.
“I want to assure Nigerians that the government of
President Buhari is a very focused and determined
government. We are committed to ensuring that we
are able to develop the Nigerian economy in such a
way that Nigerians are able to find opportunities in
their own country,” he said.
He listed the ‘Made in Nigeria’ project, moving away
from import dependence, boosting agriculture, and
encouraging manufacturing as some of the urgent
actions being pursued by government in order to
move the country forward.
The Vice President also emphasized the Buhari
administration’s zero tolerance for corruption, as
corruption is “the major drain on the country’s
resources.” He added that “no one would be spared
in the fight against corruption because, even the
close friends of the President know that they will not
be spared, he will not cover for them. Fighting
corruption is a priority.”
On the current recession, the Vice President said the
fall in oil prices and pipeline vandalism were the
immediate causes of the recession, thus reducing
drastically, the country’s revenue. But he assured
that government will adequately manage the little
being realised now.
“We were producing up to 2.2 million barrels a day
but all of a sudden, the vandalization of our
terminals caused us to lose up to a million barrels a
day.
“So when you lose up to 60 per cent of your revenue
or even more, there must be a shock because you
are really earning very little and we will ensure that
that very little that we are earning is as well
managed as possible,” he said.
Source : Premiumtimesng
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