The Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha, has said that the federal government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will ensure that those trained by the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, would not return to the unemployment market.
The minister who is also the supervising Minister of the NDE made the assertion on Thursday when fielding questions from the journalists after the inspection of products and services paraded by the NDE successful beneficiaries at the 44th edition of Kano International Trade Fair.
According to the minister, “NDE was established to provide skills towards creation of blue collar jobs. I am happy seeing NDE beneficiaries who are very successful, people who have been trained as far back as 2008 and have been feeding their families with their products, some of which are of international standard. All they needed is government backing to optimize their products and get the right access.
“Our intent at this particular point in time is to provide support for those who have been trained by these successful beneficiaries and ensure that they are empowered and do not relapse to the unemployment market. Some of them train as many as 70 people per month; we shall ensure they also become successful and able to provide for their families too.
“The summary of it all is that if you come to the NDE, you can be employed without being employed by another person or organisation. You can be self-employed. I am happy with what NDE is doing.”
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Earlier in her keynote address, the minister said that the timing of the trade fair was apt as it complimented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s trapping of a sustainable course for Nigeria’s prosperity.
She said that the federal government, aside from making efforts to clear inherited billions of dollars, had also established a committee to reduce tax burdens on Nigerians.
She assured Nigerians that the present administration would reverse the worrisome trend in economy, saying, the government was working assiduously towards attracting Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, into the country.
In his welcome address, the Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, said that in line with the theme of the fair, “Economic Diversification: Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development,” the directorate, aside providing skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development opportunities to many Nigerians, had recently strengthened many macro enterprises of its beneficiaries through soft loans to ensure sustainability.
He said NDE was willing to empower as many people as possible under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
NDE’s participation in international trade fairs, according to him, was to provide opportunities for the beneficiaries of various skill acquisition programmes to showcase the effort and commitment of the federal government through the NDE at self-employment creation.
The President of the Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, KACCIMA, Alhaji Garba Imam, in his opening address appreciated the Minister of State and the NDE for their support in building the chamber over the years.
Spotlights of the events were the exchange of souvenirs, group photographs and inspection of NDE pavilion and few others.
