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Tag: National Directorate of Employment (NDE)

  • Labour ministers rally financial support for completion of NDE headquarters

    Labour ministers rally financial support for completion of NDE headquarters

    …say new building will boost productivity of workers

    Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Dingyadi and Minister of State, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, have rallied the federal government for financial support for the completion of the headquarters of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

    They said the new building would end decades of rent burden and boost the productivity of workers of the agency.

    Speaking during an inspection of the seven-storey facility on Tuesday, Dingyadi expressed satisfaction with the pace of work and urged the agency to take possession of the facility as soon as possible.

    The minister stated, “The contractor is trying very hard to ensure that he meets our targets. So I am satisfied with what I have seen so far. I do hope that the NDE will try to move in as quickly as possible. We are paying rent on the old building, but by the time they move here, that will be off our necks.”

    Also speaking, Onyejeocha lamented the absence of proper office accommodation for staff and even top officials of the ministry, noting that there is an urgent need to release funds to fast-track the completion of the project.

    Onyejeocha said, “I am very optimistic that very soon the NDE will move in. Like I said before, right now, even the Minister of State does not have an office. The place where I am staying currently, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Aviation has been allocated that place, but I have to stay there because where do I go?

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    “So, I believe that we need to put all our energy into this NDE building to make sure that it is finished at the speed of light, so that those who do not have offices will just come in here to be able to do their work, and like the contractor was saying, they have done three floors. Right now, with the capacity of NDE, three floors will not be enough to accommodate the staff of the directorate and that of the ministry, including the DG himself. So I believe that what needs to be done is to make sure that funds are allocated to them to make sure that the whole complex is ready, before the end of the year.”

    Director-General of NDE, Mr. Silas Agara, commended the ministers and President Bola Tinubu for supporting the project, recalling that the agency had been operating from a rented facility for over three decades.

    Agara, a former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, said, “Well, we have not achieved much yet because it is still a work in progress. And we are not where we want to be. But we are better off coming from where we were.

    “You will recall that the NDE has been operating from a rented facility for over 30 years. Since the creation of NDE, we have been operating from a rented facility. But it takes a leader with the political will to be able to make the facility available for use.”

    The NDE chief recalled that the structure was originally designed as a hotel to serve the hospitality industry, adding that following its seizure by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the property was reallocated to the NDE and subsequently converted into an office complex.

    Agara added that once completed, the project would motivate staff and improve efficiency.

    He added, “A Good environment will certainly motivate the staff to put in more in driving the process of NDE.

    “Like you know, NDE operates from over 36 states, including Abuja. We are supposed to be providing hope to a lot of Nigerians, especially those in the labour market. But when you visit the old office of the NDE, of course, all the hope you have will be dashed.”

  • NDE backs vocational skills integration in schools

    NDE backs vocational skills integration in schools

    The Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Silas Agara, has supported the Federal Government’s policy introducing 15 vocational skills into Nigeria’s primary and secondary school curricula.

     He said the initiative would drive substantial youth employment under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

    The NDE boss described the policy as a “pragmatic and far-reaching component” of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

    Agara said the NDE is examining the new policy to integrate it with its ongoing interventions, ensuring Nigerians are prepared for gainful employment opportunities.

    According to him, President Tinubu’s endorsement of the policy highlighted a commitment to addressing “unemployment, non-productivity, and youth restiveness in a nation with one of the world’s largest youth populations.”

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     The NDE DG noted that the policy reflected Tinubu’s goal to foster a generation of skilled, focused, and empowered young Nigerians who are equipped to impact their world.

     Speaking through a statement, Agara said that the new curriculum overhaul was part of a comprehensive strategy of the current administration to create jobs, boost productivity, and drive economic growth.

    He said the strategy included initiatives across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

    The statement said: “At the NDE, we are implementing practical steps to fulfill our mandate, especially with President Tinubu’s active focus on youth issues. It’s encouraging that the government has introduced 15 core skills into the nine-year basic education curriculum for public and private schools nationwide.”

     The NDE boss said by embedding these skills in the curriculum, the administration prioritises early skill acquisition to empower the country’s youth to contribute to national productivity through self-employment and the creation of goods and services.

  • NDE empowers 300 women, youths

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has empowered 300 unemployed women and youths in Edo State, with N300,000 each after they completed a training under its Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES).

    Its Director-General, Mr Nasir Argungu, made this known in Benin, after the training, aimed at creating decent jobs.

    Argungu, who was represented by the Deputy Director of NDE’s Vocational Skills Development Programme, Mrs Roseline Olawunmi, advised the beneficiaries to take advantage of the programme to improve their living conditions.

    He said the Federal Government was determined to tackle the challenges of unemployment through empowerment programmes.

    “In Edo, under the stewardship of the Director – Gerneral, Dr. Nasir Mohammed Ladan Argungu, NDE is determined to train 10,000 women and youths.

    “Today I’m happy to inform you that out of the 700 persons we have trained in various skill acquisitions, 300 people would be empowered.

    “They will go home with N10, 000 with which to start a small business in what they have learnt from the training, with certificate of participation,” he said.

    Meanwhile, President of South-South Solidarity Movement of Nigeria Chief Donben Donyegha has praised President Muhammadu Buhari and the Special Adviser on Presidential Amnesty Programme, Prof. Charles Dokubo, for empowering over 1,000 youths of Gelegele communities in Ovia South West Local Government of Edo State with Starter Packs.

    The Presidential Amnesty Office had given an order that impacted communities in the Niger Delta region, comprising host and access communities be empowered with starter packs such as deep freezers, generators, welding machines, gas cookers, sowing machines, baking and hair dressing equipment.

     

  • NDE, Saraki empower 10,000 in Kwara

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in collaboration with Senator Gbemisola Saraki has empowered 10,000 youths and women in Kwara State.

    The empowerment scheme came up recently in Ilorin, the state capital at the Stella Obasanjo multipurpose hall.

    It came after NDE has trained the beneficiaries for weeks.

    Senator Gbemisola Saraki, younger sister of Senate President Bukola Saraki said: “Almost all beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme were recently trained on cosmetology, auto mechanic, Fashion designing and many mores by experts in guidance of NDE Officers and today they are given starter packs to go and start better life with what they have learned”

    “The different between this particular empowerment with those I used to do in the past is numbers of beneficiaries involved in this.

    “If you notice National Directorate Of Employment are making serious difference in reducing unemployment in the society especially in the last 3 years and it all goes down to the determination of president Muhammed Buhari in ensuring the masses and most especially unemployed youths and women engaged in handiwork in the absent of white collar job”

    She added that the empowerment was comprised of eleven different schemes from auto mechanic, fashion designing, block making, shoe making and many more. She added that six hundred people would also be given N10,000 to start small scale business .

    In his speech, the Director General of National Directorate Of Employment, Dr. Nasir Argungu hailed Senator Saraki in putting smile in the faces of the less privileged in the society by her constant support for the implementation of NDE programs in Kwara State.

    NDE state coordinator Gabriel Ademola Adeyemo urged the beneficiaries of the empowerment schemes to ensure the proper usage of the starter packs given to them and enhance the economy of the state and country.

     

  • FG tackling youth unemployment – NDE Boss

    Dr Nasiru Ladan, the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Wednesday said the Federal Government was committed to tackling youth unemployment in Nigeria through the introduction of various initiatives.

    Ladan, who spoke in Dutse at a one-day orientation exercise for 50 recruited trainees on inter lock tiles production said that the youths could utilise the initiatives to become gainfully employed.

    Represented by Mr Bashir Abdulkadir, the DG pointed out that the NDE would not be about creating jobs alone but how it would help assist those who are already into petty jobs to accommodate others.

    He therefore urged the beneficiaries to be of good conduct, as well as obey and respect their trainers.

    “This training is simultaneously going on all the 36 states of the federation and FCT.

    “I want to appeal to the beneficiaries to ensure that they attend regularly.

    “If you don’t attend regularly, you will be replaced as others are outside looking for the same opportunity,”he said.

    Ladan said the trainees would be given N2,000 monthly transport allowance.

    In his remarks, the NDE Coordinator in the state, Mallam Abubakar Muhammad, said the beneficiaries, drawn from across the state, would receive a three month training on inter lock tiles production.

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    Muhammad added that the trainees would be attached to inter lock producers in their respective local government areas to learn the skill from Nov. to January 2019

    “We selected all manners of unemployed youths without considering their educational qualifications in order to cater for all.

    “I urge the beneficiaries to take the training seriously in order to understand all aspect of the training, because one day, you will also become an employer of labour.

    “This is because white-collar job is no longer available, but skills acquired last forever.

    “You should also work hard to optimise this opportunity made available to you and justify the investment being made on each of you by the Federal Government,”Muhammad said.

    Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr Shafi’u Muhammad commended the FG and the directorate for the gesture and pledged to work hard to acquire the skills in order to become self-reliant.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training is being conducted under the NDE’s Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS).

  • NDE trains 230 Ekiti youths in skills acquisition

    The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced training for 230 youths in Ekiti State under its Skills for Job (S4J) component of Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO).

    Apart from Ekiti, other states benefiting from the scheme are Bauchi, Niger, Cross River, Kwara, Oyo, Kogi and Osun with the trainees receiving stipends throughout the nine months it would last.

    Speaking at the orientation ceremony for the beneficiaries, NDE Director General, Dr. Nasiru Ladan, the scheme would equip them with skills through training, internship and apprenticeship for employability.

    Ladan, who was represented by Mrs. Tinuke Alabi, from the NDE headquarters in Abuja, said the agency floated the scheme as complementary and coordinated platform for social safety nets as an effective tool for poverty reduction.

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    He disclosed that NDE is being supported by the World Bank and the Federal Government to ensure smooth implementation of S4J activities in all the participating states since the scheme commenced two years ago.

    The beneficiaries, according to him, would be deployed to competent Private Sector Operators (PSOs) for internship/apprenticeship.

    The NDE boss urged Ekiti State government to make adequate provision for basic working tools and equipment as starter packs to beneficiaries who would opt for self-employment at the end of the training.

    He advised the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity to acquire skills to set up their businesses and become employer of labour.

  • Edo reopens job portal March 1

    Edo reopens job portal March 1

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has disclosed that the state government is finalising arrangements to reopen the EdoJobs portal on March 1, 2018.

    In a statement on Thursday, in Benin City, by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, the governor said the reopening of the portal would extend the window of opportunities for more youths to be captured in the state’s jobs database.

    The governor reassured youths in the state of his administration’s commitment to fulfil his campaign promise of creating 200,000 jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.

    According to Obaseki, “The reopening of the job portal is to capture more youths in the state, who are to undergo employability and capacity building training. After their training, these youths will be matched with employers of labours, who have indicated interest in employing young people.

    “It is clear that we have a crisis of youth unemployment and we are making frantic efforts to address it. There are various options the applicants on the jobs portal can choose from.

    The EdoJobs initiative trained a batch of 500 youths late last year, and also supplied over 4,000 people trained by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) this year.

    EdoJobs is an employment initiative of Godwin Obaseki-led administration to train and retrain graduates with post-secondary school certificates on business writing, workplace ethics, problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence and managing conflicts, among others. The initiative gives applicants the opportunity for job placements in companies across the state.

    The portal provides the state government with data of applicants, which it uses for planning skills training for the job seekers in collaboration with companies requiring skilled labour.

     

  • NDE trains 30 youths on sustainable agriculture in Cross River

    NDE trains 30 youths on sustainable agriculture in Cross River

    The National Directorate of Employment ( NDE ) has flagged off a four-month training programme on Sustainable Agriculture Development for 30 unemployed youths on Agri-business economy in Ikom local government area of Cross River.

    Director General of NDE, Dr. Mohammed Ladan, said that the training was designed to help farmers improve on their farming skills through constant practice of modern agricultural skills.

    He said the beneficiaries will be trained at the NDE Agricultural Skills Training Centre in Nde Community in Ikom local government area.

    Ladan, who was represented by the State Coordinator of the Directorate, Mr Gabriel Udam, explained that the training would help local farmers to enhance the quality of food production, improve their income and save cost.

    According to him, the training involves three approaches which are two weeks adaptive field training in crops/livestock, trainee farmers’ mentorship and linkages with development, and money deposit banks.

    He also added that the trainees would also be taken on courses on bee making, cropping, farming, piggery, poultry and other agricultural practices.

    The DG said that the training will empower the beneficiaries with agricultural skills that would transform them into agri-preneurs and employers of labour.

    “The training is in line with the Federal Government policy on agriculture which is aimed at empowering the youths to be self-reliant and job creators.

    “I urge all of you here to make judicious use of the training so that you can turn yourselves into commercials farmers with a view to create jobs and be dependable farm income earners,” he said.

    One of the beneficiaries, Ms. Comfort Ojong, thanked the NDE for the rare opportunity of training them to become self-sustaining in commercial agriculture.

    Ojong, who spoke on behalf of others, said that the initiative will help in reducing unemployment among youths in the state.

  • Sokoto trains 79 local miners to takeover FG mining sites – official

    Sokoto trains 79 local miners to takeover FG mining sites – official

    Sokoto state government has sponsored the training of no fewer than 79 local miners to acquire modern skills to takeover several Federal Government mining sites in the state.

    Malam Imam Imam, the Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal on Media and Public Relations, made the disclosure in an interview on Tuesday in Sokoto.

    Imam said the gesture was to boost solid mineral potential of the state, adding it was one area that had received the state government’s attention and focus for development.

    Imam said beneficiaries were expected to also train others in the mining communities, stressing that the idea was to key into Federal Government’s agenda on diversification of the economy and to boost employment opportunity among youths.

    The governor’s aide said the initiative had started having positive impacts on the lives of people of the state.

    He said that the state government was partnering with Raw Material Research and Development Council, Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals and Federal Ministry of Environment as well as other stakeholders to drive the project.

    He explained that the state government, in addition had designed series of empowerment programmes for women and youths as part of its efforts to making them become self reliant and productive in the society.

    Imam said such training was either organised directly by government’s ministries and agencies in collaboration with Industrial Training Funds ( ITF ), National Directorate of Employment ( NDE ) and other stakeholders with similar mandates.

    According to him, Sokoto State Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency ( SOSEDAN ) is vigorously facilitating the growth of various entrepreneurs through coordination of its activities, access to funds, markets and management at different levels in the state.

    On agriculture, Imam said the state government was partnering with the Dangote group to boost rice cultivation through anchor borrower scheme.

    The governor’s aide said that 500 hectares of land were cultivated this year.

    He expressed optimism that the farmland would be expanded to about 2,000 hectares next year flowing from this year’s farming season huge success.

    He noted that the dry season rice farming was successful in the state as government provided nets against quela birds among other incentives.

    He said the Rabah farm named: “Sokoto Cattle Breeding, Dairy and Beef Processing Project’’ was established by the state government and equipped with modern tools and machines while foreign professionals were invited to train indigenous managers.

    Imam said state government facilitated the establishment of the state commodity board in which harvested farm produce were being purchased from farmers at appreciable prices to prevent loss due to market fluctuations.

    According to him, such commodities are being released to markets for public consumption as the need arises, to prevent hoarding, which usually results in price manipulation and artificial scarcity.

    “Government also facilitates the establishment of textile and fertiliser companies through public partnership initiative where government invested percentage to argument farmers efforts, increased internal generated revenues and employment opportunities in the state.

    “The government had facilitated the establishment of smaller rice mills and other agro-allied processing company at various locations to complement productions and markets,” Imam said.

    He said that a working committee was inaugurated to facilitate and coordinate all the agricultural projects in the state.

    NAN

  • NDE trains 100 youths in vocational skills to reduce unemployment

    NDE trains 100 youths in vocational skills to reduce unemployment

    The National Directorate of Employment ( NDE ) says that 100 youths are currently benefiting from the Federal Government’s Empowerment programme on Vocational skills in 36 states and the FCT to reduce unemployment in the country.

    Mr Nasiru Mohammed, the Director-General of said this on Thursday at the sensitisation programme of trainees on the B-NOAS, under the vocational skills development department in Abuja.

    The director-general was represented by, Mrs Edna Ngozi, the FCT Coordinator.

    Mohammed said the NDE organised the training to enable the trainees acquire pre knowledge of the intensive training that would last for three months.

    He added that the training began in October and it would end in December 2017.

    He said the participants would be trained in catering, interior decoration, fashion designing and computer training.

    He that NDE saw a great self employment opportunities for all unemployed and underemployed youths in skills market demand that was waiting to be tapped.

    “God has blessed you with untapped skills that you need to look inwards too and give your time to get gold out in other to make a difference.

    “I, therefore, urge you all to embrace this great opportunity to acquire the skills that will create profitable employment for you and offer employment to others in the long run.”

    Mohammed said the training was another milestone in the continuous efforts of the NDE to explore all avenues at combating the problem of unemployment and underemployment in the country.

    He said the NDE as an apex of employment generating agency of government had over the years employed policies that cuts across various spheres of job creation.

    “The practical attachment and skills acquisition will ensure that our young men and women after graduation have added advantage to be competitive and innovative in the market place of wealth creation.’’

    He, however, urged all participants to make sure they attend the classes and take the training seriously and not just see it as ordinary training but as life changing opportunity.

    Miss Chidima Osuagwu, one of the trainees, who responded on behalf of others, commended NDE for the privileged given to them and assured that the training would be put to effective use.

    She also appealed to other trainees to use the opportunity towards moving the country forward.

    NAN