Federal Government Set to Create "4.5 Million Jobs”, New Report Says
- Fresh reports have confirmed that the outgoing administration has completed empowerment programmes that would create 4.5 million jobs
- These jobs are spread across the country through initiatives and projects executed by the government for vulnerable Nigerians
- These initiatives range from agriculture to technical and vocational training for youths and others
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FCT, Abuja - As activities of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration are gradually ending, details of the achievements of its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) – an initiative aimed at reducing poverty across Nigeria, are emerging.
Checks on the activities of the Steering Committee of NPRGS, chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, indicated that by adopting a different approach based on a common-sense strategy, the committee’s interventions had impacted millions of Nigerians across various sectors in less than a year of operations.
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Confirming the development, the spokesman to the Vice President, Mr Laolu Akande, in a media update stated noted that:
“Almost 2 million vulnerable Nigerians have been impacted by various projects implemented by the NPRGS Committee for the year 2022 in agriculture, rural roads construction and skills and vocational training.”
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Mr Akande recalled that Prof. Osinbajo had noted in a meeting with committee members that “how the Buhari administration plans to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in ten years will not be based on a business-as-usual approach, but a straightforward, common-sense strategy that will deliver the results as the President promised.”
He explained that the approach adopted by the Committee led by the VP resulted in significant progress made within a brief period.
Findings show that about 1.6 million smallholder farmers were impacted under the Agriculture for Jobs Plan alone.
At the same time, 13,000 youths have been trained under a Technical and Vocational Education and Training programme in 6 States comprising Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna and Nasarawa, while arrangements are underway to provide similar training for 2000 beneficiaries in Edo State.
Equally, more than 8,000 Nigerians were employed in rural road construction under the Rural Roads programme, which built 40 rural roads in 120 communities, covering about 57.3 km across the country.
According to the NPRGS implementation monitoring update Akande released, it stated that:
“Some of the programmes that have achieved 100% completion for the 2022 cycle include the Agriculture for Food and Jobs Plan (AFJP), and Construction of Rural Roads, among others.
“A total number of direct beneficiaries of the implemented programmes currently stands at 1,818,782 vulnerable Nigerians and a total of 9,527 Nigerians have also been directly employed through the implementation of the programmes so far.”
Mr Akande said the committee, at its last meeting of the administration, recently approved the sum of N250 billion for the execution of projects for this year running.
Other programmes include the creation of 4.5 million direct and indirect jobs through the Rural Roads programme, which targets to connect about 750 rural markets, provision of N9 billion support for over 1.6 million vulnerable smallholder farmers for the 2023 wet season farming under the Agriculture for Jobs Plan and the expansion of the National Social Register with additional 3 million households.
Others are providing 100,000 homes for low-income earners, which will create one million jobs directly and indirectly and expand energy access by providing 1,200 solar street lights in rural communities and six mini-grids for high-capacity productive farming under the Solar Naija Programme.
It would be recalled that Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who is also the Co-Chair of the Technical Working Group for the committee, had in a chat with State House Correspondents at the end of the committee’s last meeting in April expressed optimism that despite challenges and issues associated with the transition of governments, efforts were underway to touch each of the targeted areas of implementation.
Members of the National Steering Committee of Nigeria’s National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy include the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff to Mr President, Governor of Ekiti State (South West), Governor of Delta State (South-South), Governor of Sokoto State (North West), Governor of Borno State (North East), Governor of Nasarawa State (North Central) and Governor of Ebonyi State (South East).
Other members of the committee are Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister of Education and Minister of Health.
President Buhari Appoints New Accountant-General of Federation
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of a new substantive Accountant-General of the Federation.
His appointment his coming less than ten days before the end of his administration as President of Nigeria and months after the suspension of the former AGF Ahmed Idris.
President Buhari assented to the appointment of Dr Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein, whose resumption takes effect from Thursday, May 18.
Source: Legit.ng
