A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Rivers State, Securing Individual Means (SIM), has said it has begun online registration for unemployed youths of the state origin.
SIM, also called ‘What Rivers Youths Need’, is a project meant to meet the basic needs of the youth, particularly in economic empowerment, job creation, among others.
The Project Consultant, Blessing Fubara, told reporters in Port Harcourt that the project was targeting to delist at least 2,300 youths from the list of 1.7 million jobless population of the state before the 2023 general election campaigns would start.
He observed disconnect between youths and government, attributing it to lack of purpose.
Fubara said successive governments did not implement their campaign promises to youths each political period, ”but SIM is determined to change the narrative, beginning with the sitting government.”
He said the registration portal was meant to collate the data of unemployed youths, including their academic qualifications, skills learnt, interests, among others, to guide the NGO on how to engage the government on behalf of the youth.
“This is political era. People are being distracted by politicians, political mandates and promises. There is need to get the sitting political leaders to implement their previous electioneering campaign promises before the beginning of another round against 2023.
“The recent unemployment survey report on Rivers State has it that a whopping 1.7 million people are jobless.
“There is high level of hardship, hunger and poverty in the state.
“We want to do proper potential analysis of Rivers youths. What is your academic qualification? What is your interest? What is your passion? What are you doing at the moment? We want to see how we can take away at least 2,300 people out of the unemployment list before the election is held next year.
“We are reaching out to them with loans and grant offers. The loan will come without any collateral and it will be an interest-free loan,” Fubara said.
He added: “There is a plan to organise the youth into 10 cooperatives, with 10 members in each unit of the cooperative to operate each of the farms in the local governments. Each cooperative group will operate on one acre of land.
“The youth will be handed over farming implements and seeds to farm. We will also recommend them to our bank partners for loans under the out-grower chain.
“Already the registration portal www.simrivdb.ng at the last check has over 1000 registrations.
“This is a proof that the youth have been expecting a project like this. It shows that they are tired of roaming about without no means of livelihood. It is a proof that the rate of unemployment is high in the state.”