After the initial ding-dong between the National Assembly and the executive, the federal government has eventually kicked off its Extended Special Public Works Programme to employ 1000 successful applicants from each of the 774 local government of the country.
The scheme under which the beneficiaries will work for three months and earn N20, 000 per month, is to address the unemployment challenge in the country and also mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The scheme will also complement the efforts of the Oyo government which is about to employ 5,000 teachers and 2,000 non-teaching staff in permanent employment for 35 years.
The ceremony to start the scheme held at the Akinyele Local Government, Moniya Ibadan and had in attendance, Governor Seyi Makinde who was represented by the deputy governor, Rauf Olaniyan, the Acting Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Abubakar Nuhu, who was represented by the state coordinator, Olayemi Olayinka, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, who was represented by Captain Ajao Olufemi, Makinde described the programme as a good initiative that will cushion the effect of unemployment on 33,000 persons in the state.
“It is a good step that will reach 1,000 beneficiaries in each of our 33 local governments”.
“Though it will be for three months, it is an initiative that will complement the efforts of our government to tackle unemployment across the nooks and crannies of Oyo State.
“”We are also going to issue letters of employment to medical and paramedical staffers, while state counsels have already been given their employment letters. All these efforts will deplete unemployment in the state. So, you will agree with me that the extended special public works programme is complementing our efforts.”
The governor lauded the initiative and admonished the beneficiaries to demonstrate good conduct, stating that it is a great opportunity for them and that the conduct of the pioneer beneficiaries will determine whether or not it would last or be short-lived.
“To the participants of this programme, this is a great opportunity for you. To whom much is given, much is expected; you can use the opportunity of this programme to do well for yourselves and even convince the government to make it continue or to terminate it. If you do well, the Federal Government can even increase the beneficiaries to 2,000 per local government,” he added.
He equally charged the members of the committee of the programme to always carry the state government along in the selection process so as to make it more transparent and generally acceptable to all and sundry in the state.
Olayinka, representing the Acting Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Abubakar Nuhu said that the programme is a significant step in Nigeria’s quest to win the war against mass unemployment and to ameliorate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is the single most far-reaching grassroots-based employment creation initiative in the history of our great nation.”, he noted.
Olufemi who stood in for the Minister of State for Labour and Employment said the programme was organised to address the ballooning population of the unemployed and rising insecurity in some parts of the country and to cushion the adverse socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that the Federal Government will closely monitor the implementation of the programme to ascertain the efficient utilisation of the resources, human/material committed to the programme.
Ope Salami, the chairman, Oyo State Selection Committee, advised the beneficiaries to see the programme as a golden opportunity that can be used to take them out of poverty in the nearest future.
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