The Nation Newspaper

Tag: jobs

  • Jobs for the season

    Jobs for the season

    THERE seems to be a kind of bond between a reporter and his audience. A routine visit to a pepper soup joint down the road becomes a referendum on the newspaper he works for. Even a doctor’s appointment turns a session for reviewing his work.

    “I read your editorial; good, but I disagree with your conclusion.” “That was a good one, but you guys are partisan.” “How sure are you of this your story?” Such comments flow quite often from our bosses, the readers.

    The taxi-cab driver expects the reporter to know the ABC of politics. Who is likely to do what, when and where? He is invested with some omniscience that is seldom proven, a big responsibility that belies the weight and colour of his bank balance.

    Oh! The life of a reporter. But, I confess, that is just by the way; we are not in for an ode to reporting. No. Nor am I thinking of a farewell to the trade, despite its troubles.

    But, what would I have loved to do now, if I wasn’t a journalist? Gone are the days when doctors were revered, like some local deity, when teachers were deified, when engineers were adored and the mere sight of a soldier in his crisp, starched khaki and gleaming boots got kids marching and singing: Awa soja kekere…(We young soldiers). Those days when a lawyer was ako niwaju adajo,”the bold one before the  judge” and pilots were angels. Not anymore.

    All these, no doubt, still have their various attractions, but there are some exciting vocations, especially in this season of politics. Lawyers reap bountifully from their legalistic exertions. Those well grounded in election disputes are, particularly, quite busy as losers seek the big ones, the ones called SANs, to help them revert their fate after claiming that they have been robbed. The lawyer needs no sleepless nights. The complaints are the same – over voting, violence, false signature, non display of the register and all that. So, he deploys a one-size-fits-all template and awaits the judges’ verdict. The bill? A fortune, like a bag of cement dropped from the balcony of a two-storey building. Gbam!

    Statisticians also have their hands full now. It is the season of figures and data. Facts no longer matter;  it is all figures. Just check out the campaigns going on in town as President Goodluck Jonathan fights the battle of his life to retain his job. All of a sudden, we now know that there are “130m active phone subscribers under Jonathan as against 81,000 in 2010”.  “Under Goodluck, 20,000 km of new roads have been built.” “Did you know25,000km? The length of federal roads made motor able by President Jonathan, compared to less than 5km in 2010.” “Did you know 53%? Percentage reduction in national poverty since 2010; 70% of Nigerians were rated poor then, compared to 33% today.” Oh! The power of figures.

    The way politicians are using and abusing figures, you will think there are no saner ways of wooing the electorate. Many are asking: Are these figures really from the Federal Bureau of Statistics? Who is sure of Nigeria’s population?

    Former Central Bank Governor Prof Charles Soludo has just accused Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of cooking up some figures to give the impression that the economy is in fine fettle. He lashed her for incompetence, saying she was crying like a baby whose lollipop has been snatched by an inconsiderate adult when former President Olusegun Obasanjo removed her from Finance. Being one who is not afraid of a fight, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, I am sure, will not turn the other cheek, not after the world has been told that N30trillion was either missing or misappropriated under her watch. She may soon order a forensic examination of Soludo’s tenure at the CBN. The cost? I leave that to your imagination.

    Since lying is not one of my talents, I do not wish to be a political statistician, despite the fortune such experts are hauling to the bank now.

    You may have noticed some guys standing behind politicians on the podium, gesticulating frantically as they use their fingers and faces to communicate. They are sign language experts who facilitate dialogue with the deaf and dumb. I admire their skills, but I often wonder how many of them are genuine? Besides, that they are now regular at rallies shows that our politicians have suddenly realised that our deaf and dumb compatriots are, after all, as important as every other person. Despite its seeming simplicity – I guess it pays too –  I won’t jump at sign language. What happens if I am discovered to be confusing my audience? Remember that chap who was accused of faking it all at Nelson Mandela’s funeral after collecting his pay?

    Can I be a conflict resolution expert? President Goodluck Jonathan was in N’Djamena the other day to see President Idris Deby, who reportedly facilitated ceasefire talks between the Federal Government and some Boko Haram commanders, who turned out to be scammers. It was based on the expected success of the deal that the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, announced excitedly that the days of Boko Haram’s madness were set to end. It all turned out to be a big scam, after so much cash had gone down the drain.

    Before then, Austrian hostage negotiator Dr Stephen Davis had failed to crack the nut. He accused some prominent Nigerians of being the godfathers of Boko Haram, setting off a big legal battle with one of those he so branded. Being a hostage negotiator in a hostile environment like ours is fraught with so much danger, despite the huge financial gains. I won’t venture into that.

    So, of all the exciting jobs of this season, which one would I have loved to grab if I had the skill?

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is applying every means –fair and foul – to stop General Muhammadu Buhari from running. The more the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate tries to extricate himself from the web of intrigues and lies, the more inventive the PDP and its town criers get.

    The other day in Abuja, the spokesman for the Jonathan Campaign, Femi Fani-Kayode, took some time off the legal battle to free his neck from charges of laundering a hefty sum of money – the charge, I must stress, was not stealing, which is also not to be misconstrued as corruption –  when he was Aviation minister, to allege that Gen. Buhari had no secondary school certificate. The army was distracted from fighting Boko Haram to organise an elaborate press conference where it proclaimed Buhari’s certificate missing.

    When eventually Gen. Buhari got his former school to release his results, Fani- Kayode was enraged. He pointed out many things that, in his view – I am told he is a lawyer – invalidated the paper. He said the picture attached to the paper shouldn’t have been a recent one. He had a problem, also, with the signature and the letter head.  Fani-Kayode vowed to call in a forensic expert.

    I agree. A forensic expert would have pointed out that the result sheet did not contain Gen. Buhari’s height; how tall he was when he took the exam? What was the colour of his eyes? Did he have a gap tooth then as he now does? Of what complexion was he as at the time of writing the exam? What was his shoe size? Should the report have been written on a white paper? What is the difference between Mohammed and Muhammadu?

    Just before he became the Emir of  Kano, former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi alleged that $20billion oil money was unremitted to the treasury. Mrs Okonjo-Iweala moved in to say, after some investigation, that $10b was not accounted for and that a forensic examination was coming. We are yet to hear what the forensic examination discovered. Perhaps more than $20b was unaccounted for. Perhaps not a farthing was missing. Perhaps.

    To date, nobody has an answer to how N469b police pension funds – by the way, where is Maina? – disappeared. We need a forensic expert to tell us what happened.

    In July, last year, President Jonathan secured the National Assembly’s nod to borrow $1b to fight Boko Haram. How has the money been spent? Do our soldiers have weapons now? New arms and ammunition and not some old stuff good enough for village squabbles? Are they well fed? Only a forensic expert will find out – at a handsome price, of course.

    Some of those guys who creamed off a substantial portion of what was voted for fuel subsidy over the years are no longer busy in the courts; they have joined the Transformation Ambassadors’ rallies. We may never know how much went down the drain in this dubious venture until we call in a forensic expert, whose bill may be about 5% of whatever figure is discovered to have been carted away by these guys.

    Does anybody know where forensic experts are trained? I’m signing up right away.

    Yobbish Yobo

    FOR those who have been wondering where former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo has been, an answer has come. There he was last week on the podium as President Goodluck Jonathan campaigned in Port Harcourt.
    And what a fitting appearance, especially now that yobbery has replaced wit in politics. Yobo, a ball in hand, was screaming: “APC we no go gree! APC, we no go gree!”, like an overfed ex-Niger Delta militant. Not a word on Jonathan’s achievements in sports. The last time he played for Nigeria, Yobo scored an own goal. And so he did for his former club, Everton. His adventure into politics seems an own goal. So, a big welcome to the “own goal specialist”.

  • Emerhor to provide jobs in Delta

    Emerhor to provide jobs in Delta

    Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Otega Emerhor has promised to provide jobs for youths. He also promised to build more hospitals for rural communities. The flag bearer told a huge crowd of supporters in Patani, that access points will be established to facilitate the development of local communities.

    He said the APC will collate the data of unemployed graduates for strategic empowerment and job placement in ministries, departments and agencies of government.

    The APC candidate said the era of godfatherism in job placement will be over, if elected as the governor. He promised to build standard hospitals in Patani and other major towns.

    Emerhor said more  community health centres will be built in villages and  qualified medical officers will be employed to restore primary health services in rural areas.

    He said the propaganda against the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, will not work, adding that the former Head of State will defeat President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll.

    He described the PDP is a sinking party suffering from decline in popularity, ahead of the polls.

    Emerhor said Nigerians will reclaim its lost glory when the PDP is voted out of power.

    Emerhor eeds. promised to implement a rural integration programme that will make rural areas attractive to youths.

    He also promised to fund the local government to make the third tier more functional and responsive to the needs of rural dwellers.

    The flag bearer said he will use his wealth of experience to create industries in the area, thereby guaranteeing job opportunities.

    Emerhor said Patani, being a rural community surrounded by water, will benefit from the agro-allied policy of his administration.

  • ‘8,500 construction workers lost jobs’

    Over 8,500 workers in the construction sector lost their jobs last year due to non-payment of funds to contractors handling various jobs for the Federal Government, the National President, Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA), Dr. Augustine Etafo has said.

    He also expressed fears that more jobs are likely to be lost this year because there was no budgetary provisions for the execution of projects this year, putting contractors and workers in a dangerous position.

    Speaking with reporters in Lagos, he lamented that the development was counter-productive to the growth of the nation’s economy. He urged the Federal Government to live up to its responsibilities by paying contractors as at when due so as to save the sector from collapse.

    While expressing hope that the construction sector local content bill at the National Assembly would bring renewed hope for the construction sector when passed into law, he charged the management of two cement companies, Lafarge and Holcim to ensure that the  welfare of workers are protected as the companies plan to merge.

    He tasked the companies to guarantee that all collective agreements reached are honoured, adding that  the companies must also commit to maintaining global level social dialogue that Lafarge previously participated in with unions.

    In a related development, CCESSA has urged the Federal Government to fulfil the agreement reached with companies in the construction industry.

    Etafo, who made the appeal, told newsmen in Lagos that the industry may have more job losses this year as uncertainties surround the Federal Government implementation of austerity measures.

    He said: “We call on the three tiers of government, especially the Federal, the state and local governments to fulfil their agreement reached with companies in the construction industry as over 8,500 workers in the sector lost their jobs in 2014 due to non-payment of funds to contractors handling various jobs for the Federal Government.”

  • Buhari promises Igbo youths one million jobs

    Buhari promises Igbo youths one million jobs

    The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, has promised to create one million jobs for Igbo youths by revamping coal deposits in Enugu State for the generation of electricity and for export.

    He spoke at the weekend at the Enugu West APC zonal rally at Orie Awgu Market in Awgu Local Government.

    The presidential hopeful, who was represented by the state Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Committee, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said coal would be revamped to generate electricity to serve the Southeast and boost its economy.

    He promised to award the contract immediately he was sworn in, to avoid the mistakes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which squandered the over N2 billion voted for 3D Seismic Study for coal to power project, between 2012 and last year.

    Gen. Buhari said: “We are banking on huge coal deposits at Amasiodo, Inyi and Leje axes of Enugu coal belt. We will award contract for the mining and construction of coal-fired-power-plant.

    “We believe coal is the most abundant fossil fuel in Enugu State and Enugu coal is one of the most qualitative coal brands in the world, which means while some are used to generate electricity, some will be exported.

    My objective is to create one million jobs directly and indirectly, from the coal project, as ancillary projects will follow.

    “I want to emulate the Taichung Coal-Fired-Power-Plant in Taiwan, the largest coal power station in the world. Coal supplies 46 per cent electricity in the United States and over 60 per cent electricity in China. It is callous to abandon such a golden treasury.”

    The Vice Chairman, APC Enugu East, Anike Nwoga, said he hoped that Gen. Buhari would win the election.

    He urged those who attended the rally to be part of the victory party by voting for him.

    Said he: “Many of you are Catholics. Did you hear what Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka said? Every patriot must vote for APC. If you go to the North, people in the region are supporting him. People in the Southwest are also poised to vote for Gen. Buhari.”

    At the campaign, three senatorial candidates from other parties endorsed the APC standard-bearer as their candidate.

    They are Chukwu Ijeoma of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mabel Onwukwe of the Labour Party (LP) and Nwabuike Oliver of the Advanced Congress of Democrats.

    Others at the rally were the Chairman, APC Enugu West, A.C. Ude, Director General of Buhari Campaign Organisation in Enugu State, Ejike Eze and the APC senatorial candidate in Enugu West, Luoisa Achieze.

  • Emerhor promises N10b jobs fund in 100 days

    Emerhor promises N10b jobs fund in 100 days

    •‘APC is the only alternative party for state’

    Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Olorogun O’tega Emerhor has said he will establish a N10 billion empowerment fund for youths, if elected in the February 28 election.

    Emerhor also said his administration would provide over one million jobs for the teeming unemployed youths and women in the first four years of his tenure.

    The APC candidate spoke at the weekend at his campaign rallies in Uvwie, Warri South and Warri South-West local government areas.

    He said the party was the only alternative that would deliver Delta State from years of misrule under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Emerhor urged youths, women and the elderly to get their permanent voter cards (PVCs) to enable them vote for the APC in all the elections.

    The APC candidate said the party had better programmes to improve the people’s lives.

    He said: “APC is the alternative party. Nigerians want Gen. Buhari. Or else, ask why the government of the day is asking for the postponement of the elections.

    “I have been in the private sector. We know how to use money. In four years, we must take out a minimum of one million youths and women from the labour market. We will set aside N10 billion for empowerment fund to start our youths and women financially within my first 100 days in office. We intend to set up social security for the elderly.

    “How do we turn this underdevelopment? Your PVC is your power. Go, vote and protect your votes. Wait and make sure your votes are counted.”

    Delta State APC Chairman Jones Erue said Emerhor was an ‘A’ list professional in his career.

    The chairman assured the party’s supporters that hewould give “first-class government leadership to Delta”.

  • Job of the day

    VACANCY AT LOGISTICS AND DISTRIBUTION COMPANY

    POSITION: ASSISTANT MANAGER, (HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMIN)

    Educational Qualification and Experience:

    – A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in Human Resource Management or Social Sciences.

    – A minimum of 3 years experience in Human Resources Management.

    – Possession o a Professional Certificate of C.I.P.M. or evidence of progression in the exams.

    Submission of CVs to soalagbe@gmail.com

    Deadline of submission: Friday, 30th January, 2015.

     

    2. POSITION: SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER AT A MEDICAL OUTFIT

    REQUIREMENTS

    – Must have 7 years working experience and must be computer literate

    – Must be able to perform some minor surgical procedures

    Send CV to hr@kupamedical.com

    Deadline: Within two weeks of the publication.

  • Jobs of the day

    A reputable company located in Lekki requires immediate employment for the following:

    1. A very experience driver for its M.D and other top management staff with at least five(5) years experience in similar position
    2. Plumber with at least five years experiences in resident estate plumbing facility maintenance.
    3. Lift technician with at least five experience in repair and maintenance of lift.

    Qualified candidate should send handwriting application along with a detailed CV and one passport photograph to : THE PROPERTY MANAGER, OLUWANISOLA ESTATE, KM 20, LEKKI EXPRESSWAY NEAR CHEVRON HEAD OFFICE, LEKKI, LAGOS.

     

    VACANCY

    A leading newspaper publishing organization requires the services of contact sales representation to work in the following state: Abia, Ademawa, Akure, Benue, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Ebonyi, Taraba, Ekiti, Katsira, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Ondo, Oyo,Plateau, Bauchi.

     

    QUALIFICATION

    Each candidate should have a minimum of the national diploma in any discipline. Business enterprise with trace record may also apply.

    EXPERIENCE

    Cognate experience of a minimum of two years in sales and marketing as preferred.

    All applications with attached relevant document should be forwarded within two (2) weeks of this publication, to the advertiser at: No. 2063, Guardian Newspaper limited, Rutam Hones, Isolo, PMB 1217, Oshodi, Lagos or sales@ngrguardiannews.com.

     

    VACANCY

    A publishing company with branches all over Nigeria and head office at Ibadan, Oyo state, seeks applications for:

    1. Editor (English)

    QUALIFICATION

    First degree (upper class level) in English language or communication art from any recognized university. Masters degree is an addition advantage. Applicants must be computer literate.

    1. Editor (French)

    QUALIFICATION

    First degree (upper class level) in French language from any recognized university. Masters degree is an addition advantage. Applicants must be computer literate.

    1. Sales representatives for various states of Nigeria

    QUALIFICATION

    B.SC or HND in marketing or good degree in any of the basic or social science. Applicants must have good communication skills with proficiency in local language especially Igbo and Hausa.

    4.   Secretary

    B.A, B.SC or HND in secretarial studies plus other professional qualifications.

    METHOD OF APPLICATION.

         Interested candidates should forward applications with CV incorporating telephone number and e-mail address within two weeks of this publication to: The advertiser PMB 5595 Dugbe, Ibandan.

     

    VACANCY

    A reputable 3 star hotel situated within the south-east geopolitical zone to recruit very ambitious and passionate person in its operation into the post of

    1. Front officer
    2. Food and beverage
    3. House keeping.

    QUALIFICATIONS

    1. H.N.D /O.N.D with or without experience
    2. .SSCE with 1-2 years practical experience.

    Interested applicants should apply within two weeks from the date of advert to: recruitandtrain2015@gmail.com or hospitalitytraining2015@yahoo.com.

     

    1. Accountants wanted for immediate employment.

    QUALIFICATION

    Minimum of HND or B.SC in accounting and related courses.

    Minimum of OND or related diploma qualification.

    The candidate must be someone with security experience.

    Interested persons should send CV within two weeks to C.duru@sureplatform.com.

  • Govt eyes 800, 000 jobs from mechanised farming

    Govt eyes 800, 000 jobs from mechanised farming

    The Federal Government has said about 800, 000 jobs would be created through the implementation of full scale mechanised farming.

    The government also noted that 4,800,000 metric tons (mt) of food will be added to the existing 21, 000, 000 mt under the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES).

    Also, additional 10,000,000 farmers will have access to mechanised farming equipment through the Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise (AEHE), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development explained in a statement yesterday.

    The government said the new mechanisation policy, which is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) will see the government providing 35 per cent of the finance while financial institutions will provide 35 per cent, Agro-machinery Vendors will provide 20 per cent while Service Providers Operator (SPOs) will make 10 per cent available.

    The statement explained that the short term projection of the scheme through the partnership is to make available a minimum of 6,000 units of tractors and power tillers each.

    It will also make available about 13,000 units of various harvest and post harvest equipment to set up a minimum of 1,200 AEHE to render Mechanization Support Services to farmers

    To drive this new scheme, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina said President Goodluck Jonathan through the ministry has approved N4.5billion to implement an intervention scheme to serve as a model for replication.

    He said the first phase of this intervention will make available 590 units of tractors, 500 power tillers, and various harvests and post harvest equipment to set up 118 AEHEs centres.

    “The on-going Mechanisation scheme will provide 1,230 units of tractors, 2000 power tillers and 3400 units of various harvest and post equipment such as rice reapers, grain threshers, cassava planters and harvesters, boom sprayer among several other equipment to set up 246 units of AEHEs in demand driven locations nationwide,” the minister said in the statement.

     

  • Jobs for 2,550 Kaduna youths

    As part of efforts to reduce unemployment and youth restiveness, the Kaduna State government has employed about 2550 women and youths under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). This is in addition to over 7000 of the women and youths previously engaged by the government.

    Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero expressed relief at the occasion, saying that the employment of a sizeable number of youths help keep many from thuggish behaviour and drug.  Many believe that this development will reduce the volatile nature of the state especially ahead of the 2015 general elections. Analysts believe that since the government has given the youths a life, as it were, by making them vital in nation-building, they will certainly reciprocate the effort.

    They argued that previous governments in the country, particularly Kaduna State, introduced many policies aimed at empowering thousands of unemployed youths which did not yield much result, as unemployed youths still roamed the streets. It was some of these youths who ended up in the hands of unpatrotic politicians who used them as thugs.

    The employed youths were selected from the 23 local government areas of the state comprising six males and four females from each of the 255 wards of the 23 Local Government Areas.

    Clad in SURE-P jackets at Umar Musa Yar’Adua Hall where they were given employment letters, the youths who are to be responsible for sanitation on major roads and public institutions, also act as security watchdogs in the community just as they will  control human and vehicular movement during occasions and public functions. That is not all. They will equally sensitise  and enlighten the public on peace, unity, drug awareness, good governance and civic responsibilities, were happy to be government employees.

    Governor Yero, while speaking during the flag-off of the Youth and Women employment Development programme held at Shehu Yar’Adua Multi-Purpose Hall,  urged the beneficiaries  to take the opportunity offered them seriously. He urged them to add values to their lives and not solely rely on monthly allowances alone. Yero said  government’s efforts was geared towards ensuring that youths were gainfully employed in order to encourage productivity and guide against involving in social vices such as drug abuse among others.

    To achieve this and similar programmes, the governor revealed that the state government has deposited the sum of N2billion with Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and Bank of Industry (BOI). The implementation of the programme rested on Ministry of Youth and Sport and Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    On the forthcoming general election, Governor Yero urged youths in the state to shun politicians who are bent on causing trouble. He said there are certain group of politicians whose planning day and night is to clinch the seat of power through any means particularly through violence and all sorts of trouble-making. Yero also urged the youth to be law-abiding citizens, shun all social vices and be respectful to elders according to him doing so would guarantee a secure future for them. Speaking further he said “my administration give priority to human capacity building than road construction, if we build roads and failed to build the capacity of people, who then would used the roads,”

    Speaking earlier, the state commissioner for Youth and Sports Dr. Yari Peter Everton said  a total of 2,550 youth and women across the 23 local government areas of the state benefited from the youth and women empowerment programme. He said the programme was conceived to transform and Improve the quality of lives of the youth and to also provide the youth opportunity to contribute their own quota to the development in their various communities.

    “The youth and women would be engaged in the following areas, Sanitation of major roads and public institutions, act as security watchdogs in the community, control of human and vehicular traffic, sensitise on peace, unity and drug awareness, among others”. He urged the beneficiaries to avail themselves the opportunity to serve their community for development socially, politically and economically.

    One of the beneficiaries, Bulus Iliya expressed gratitude to the state government for the kind gesture and promised to carry out their duty diligently to justify the confidence the government have in him. Haruna Usman and Talatu Yakubu also promised to be alive to their responsibility, just as they commended the state government for the gesture.

     

  • Jobs: SMEs to the rescue

    With a projected five million jobs coming from the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) next year, the Federal Government appears set to tackle graduate unemployment in the country, TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

    For the many graduates leaving school every year, there is good news from the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

    They may not all have to pound the streets in search of jobs as five million jobs will be created under the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by next year.

    Aganga said to create jobs for youths, particularly graduates, the Federal Government has adopted some measures through the SMEs, with no fewer than 4000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members trained in SMEs. The measure, he said, is meant to make the NYSC members self-reliant and become employers through entrepreneurial engagements after completing their one year compulsory service.

    Records showed the impressive impacts of SMEs on the economic performance index. For instance, the SME sector is said to have employed more than 31 million people, thereby significantly contributing 46.54 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    According to information from the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the population of youths is put at about 67 million. Of this number, about 30 million, representing 46 per cent, is said to be unemployed. The report showed that of the number seeking paid jobs, the number of those with certificates outweighs the number of those who have no certificates.

    There are two variants of the NYSC/SMEs concept. One involves the government taking the entrepreneurial campaign to the universities nationwide by establishing ‘’Enterprise Centres’’.

    The idea, Aganga explained, is to make the students entrepreneurs instead of job seekers when they graduate. The other is a SMEDAN programme called ‘’One Local Government, One Product (OLOP)’’, which entails taking the programme to the rural communities. Some local governments have been selected for the pilot scheme.

    Aganga told The Nation that the government is set to crash the cost of accessing funds for the intending entrepreneurs.

    “With the Presidential directive that the Bank of Industry (BoI), which lends at single digit interest rate, be recapitalised, many more SMEs will be able to access cheap funds at minimal costs when the cost-reduction process is completed,” he said.

    He said all over the world, SMEs empowerment has become the main economic growth strategy, considering the high employment generation capacity of SMEs, adding that with about 17 million SMEs in Nigeria, the creation of five million jobs was very possible.

    “Recent data provided by SMEDAN and the National Bureau of Statistics, put the number of MSMEs in Nigeria at 17,284,671, with total employment put at 32,414,884. If each of these SMEs is empowered to create one job each, that makes about 17 million jobs. If 50 per cent of this figure create one job each, that means 8.5 million jobs will be created.

    He said if a quarter of the total is empowered, and they create one job each, over four million jobs will be created.

    Aganga said the figure could go up, adding that he has directed the parastatals to work out a job creation profile around the model, so it can serve  as a key performance index for the country. “Our job is to put structures in place to make it happen,” he said.

    While encouraging more entrepreneurs to come up with ideas that could create quality jobs and enhance inclusive economic growth, he said the Federal Government is committed to providing the enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

    He stressed that all the factors needed for profitable and sustainable business were abundant in Nigeria, citing market and raw materials as critical success factors of business/investment.

    SMEDAN’s Alhaji Bature Masari says the agency is set to create five million jobs through SMEs before 2015, adding that the agency had mapped out strategies to achieve the goal.

    Masari said the strategies include the implementation of the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) and OLOP scheme across the federation.

    He added that NEDEP was developed with the objective of harnessing the opportunities in the MSME sector to drive inclusive economic growth through skills training and development, job creation and wealth generation.

    “Our objective is that within the few years of implementing NEDEP and other programmes to be initiated, we will generate an estimated five million direct and indirect jobs,’’ he said.

    Masari said the agency would work with BoI and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) on MSMEs development, skills training and acquisition as well as business services development.

    “Part of our strategy is to create new clusters of businesses based on competitive and comparative advantages already identified through the OLOP initiative and raw materials mapping in the 774 Local Governments,” he added.

    He said the government would set up an SME Council, comprising the federal, state and local governments to streamline and harmonise all SMEs development activities across the country to achieve maximum impact.

    ”If we are going to develop our economy and turn our quantity advantage into productive advantage, one of the most important sectors that we have to focus on is the MSME sector.”

    Masari said the development of the sector would help in job and wealth creation, and address the problem of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country.

    He said the government was restructuring the organisation to achieve its mandate and added that SMEDAN had just opened new offices in 11 states.

    Also, with the introduction of the over-the-counter (OTC)  market by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD),  two  weeks ago, SMEs seeking long-term funds no longer have to fear.

    OTC is a decentralised market of securities not listed on an exchange, where operators trade over the telephone or electronic network, instead of a physical trading floor, or central exchange. The OTC is designed to provide a platform for the companies to access funds from the market.

    The Managing Director, NASD, Bola Ajomale, said the initiative means a lot to the SMEs.

    “Though the market is meant for any firm with signs of growth and good corporate governance, prominence is given to SMEs because they are the bedrock of any economy and not the blue chips. It will go a long way in providing funds for them to grow their business and enhance their potential,” he said.

    According to Ajomale, all that an interested company needs to do is to apply to raise funds through an initial public offer (IPO), before it is admitted as a security for trading on the platform through any of the 40 stockbrokers that have been registered by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the apex regulator of the market and NASD.

    But it does not end there. SEC and NASD will conduct a thorough check on the security to verify the growth and corporate governance status of the company to determine whether it is good for the consumption of the public.

    “We are encouraging small companies that want to get bigger, and by having this market in place, it means we are giving them a place to grow,” he stated.