By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq has said that the Federal government would spend the sum of over N6.2 billion for the training, tooling and/or payment of monthly stipends of the Batch C N-School beneficiaries.
She said that through the programme, the provision of much-needed services in the education, health and agricultural sectors will be enhanced in the Bauchi State and the beneficiaries will be engaged in income-generating activities that would contribute to local economic growth.
Flagging-off of the N-Skills Training on Smart Phone Repairs on Wednesday in Bauchi, the minister said that with Mr. President’s approval for expansion of the NSIP, her ministry will double job and wealth creation opportunities for the teeming youths of the Bauchi state.
“Under the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) project, we are setting up STEM Centers in 12 Federal and State Government secondary schools in Bauchi state to enhance digital literacy, functional skills acquisition, school infrastructure and teacher retraining and to contribute towards developing the human capital needed for a knowledge-driven economy”.
“We are also working with carefully selected consulting firms to provide the N-Skills training services for 6,475 unemployed youths across the Federation, with the 6-week training to equip target beneficiaries with life, vocational and entrepreneurship skills preparatory to the work-based learning during the 6 months’ apprenticeship.
This, the minister said, will enable the target beneficiaries to meet the minimum technical and business requirements for certification by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and to enhance their entrepreneurial competences to successfully start and manage smart phone repairs and servicing businesses.
Hajiya Sadiya Farouq revealed that upon completion of the training, the target beneficiaries would be provided with a Starter Packs and deployed to Master Craft Persons for a 6-month apprenticeship.
“The target beneficiaries were carefully selected to explore the job and wealth creation opportunities in the telecommunication sector, which is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Nigerian economy”, she said, urging beneficiaries to participate actively to learn and to develop their competences to become gainfully employed.
While expressing confidence with caliber of instructors engaged by the training service provider, the minister said she is optimistic that the goal of the N-Skills programme will be achieved, and reiterated the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration to addressing poverty and youth unemployment in the country.
Sadiya, who disclosed that government has increased job creation opportunities for youths under N-Power programme, stated, “The number of beneficiaries of the graduate and non-graduate components of the N-Power programme in Bauchi State has increased from 12,878 deployed under Batches A & B to 16,820 under Batch C”.
She acknowledged the support and cooperation of Bauchi state government and other stakeholders towards the realization of Mr. President’s agenda of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
