Kaduna State Government has started the implementation of 774,000 Extended Special Public Works Programme across the 23 Local Government Area of the state.
The Minister of Environment, Dr Mohammed Mahmud who flag off the programme in Kaduna, said Kaduna state was the first state in the country to flag off after the Federal Government.
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It was gathered that 23, 000 thousand unemployed youths will benefits from the programme which will last for three months from 5th January-4th April 2021.
The Minister explained that the Programme is an outcome of the Pilot Special Public Works Programme in the Rural Areas approved by the President and implemented by the National Directorate for Employment NDE in the early part of the year 2020.
According to him, the pilot programme was implemented in eight states of the Federation in order to gauge its impact on addressing the ballooning population of the unemployed and rising insecurity in some parts of the Country.
Picture: Mohammed I.Yaba
He said the strategy was adopted to fast-track the achievement of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (2017-2020), saying with the emergence of the novel COVID-19 pandemic; President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC) under the chairmanship of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to craft economic measures to cushion the adverse socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is also aimed at shielding the most vulnerable from the ravaging effects of COVID-19 pandemic which include, Pervasive hunger, poverty, environmental degradation and joblessness.
“The need to quickly address the above mentioned informed the decision to implement the ESPW. As I address you today (Tuesday), our target is to Immediately engage the 774, 000 selected unemployed Nigerians for the programme to execute carefully selected projects across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country,” he said.
He said “each participating Local Government identified its preferred projects and will be responsible for ensuring that they are executed as planned.
The Acting Director of NDE, Malam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo in his remark said the entire staff of the Directorate “are totally committed and dedicated to the smooth and effective Implementation of the 774,000 jobs programme.
Also Governor Nasir El’rufai, represented by Commissioner Human Services and Social Development Hajiya Hafsat Baba said the selection process of the beneficiaries was fair and just despite the challenges encountered by the selection committee.
Similarly the NDE State Coordinator Sani Maiwada tasked the beneficiaries to be committed to the job they will be assigned that include feeder roads maintenance, drainage clearing and maintenance, vegetation control, , irrigation among many others.
He said all the tools that will ease their jobs have been provided for smooth take off of the programme .
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