The Federal Government, through the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), announced plans to train 90,000 youths within three months on thirty different skills.
The Director-General of NDE, Silas Ali Agara, disclosed this during an interaction with journalists in Abuja. He stated that the programme will include ten participants from each electoral ward across the country and will run for three months. Recruitment will be conducted through online registration on a dedicated portal.
Agara emphasized that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at creating jobs and generating activities that inspire hope among the youth. He said, “We are hoping to train over 90,000 youths in about thirty skills spread across four departments. We can start by recruiting youths logging into our portal, which is over 90 percent ready.”
He expressed optimism that the portal would be functional by the end of the week and outlined that the programme would take three months, supported by an immediate roadmap generated in-house.
To facilitate the process, Agara mentioned the need for the NDE to utilize technology, including creating a website to store its database. He added that the agency plans to set up an application for the artisans it trains, enabling Nigerians in need of their services to make requests directly.
“We are not going to allow the people we train to roam the streets; they should practice what they learned. We will upload names of the beneficiaries in the application, and it will cost them nothing,” Agara stated.
He acknowledged that previous settlement packages for beneficiaries of the scheme had not been encouraging but promised that those selected in the ongoing recruitment and skills acquisition would receive better support to become self-sufficient.
Agara projected that the settlement package would range from N150,000 to N200,000, with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs also providing assistance to some beneficiaries.
He highlighted that the NDE aims to develop skills relevant to the needs of youths in various environments, addressing specific local requirements and challenges.
Agara concluded by noting that while the directorate has sufficient manpower, it faces challenges in motivation and access to necessary tools for training. “We are working hard to abridge the gap and ensure we provide the tools,” he said.