How Taraba youths, women use SURE-P to tackle unemployment

The SURE-P initiative was designed to generally address the issues of low infrastructure, poverty, poor social services, amongst others, as they affect the standard of living of Nigerians, especially women and youths. In keeping to that promise, the federal government has since been releasing SURE-P funds to state governments to enable them execute various programmes that […]

The SURE-P initiative was designed to generally address the issues of low infrastructure, poverty, poor social services, amongst others, as they affect the standard of living of Nigerians, especially women and youths.
 In keeping to that promise, the federal government has since been releasing SURE-P funds to state governments to enable them execute various programmes that would empower the masses, especially in addressing the growing rate of youth and women unemployment.
The first phase of the SURE-P implementation in Taraba State began in May 2013 with various empowerment and skills acquisition programmes for youths, women and persons with disabilities to make them self-reliant in the society.
In the first phase of the programme, the sum of N1.7 billion was released to the state with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Youths and 16 local councils of the state as well as Yangtu Special Development Area, commissioner in charge of the ministry, Alhaji Abdulhadi Haruna Lau, said.
SURE-P is also a multi-sectoral programme of the federal government which was designed to tackle unemployment and improve infrastructure across the states.
The first phase of the programme which was targeted at unskilled youth and women of the state encompasses skills acquisition training for unemployed youths through marshal training, training in fingerlings production and distribution of tricycles as well as motorcycles to youths.
Abdulhadi said a total of about 10,000 youths and women including persons with disabilities had so far benefitted from the first phase of the programme implemented in 2013.
A breakdown of the implementation show that about 1,700 unemployed youths were trained in fish production and computer applications by Global Heritage and Consultancy services Ltd Jalingo, in collaboration with the Taraba State Polytechnic.
Speaking on the potential of training in fish production, the Youth Commissioner said: “Taraba State is blessed with abundant fish resources through its rivers and natural ponds scattered across the local government areas. When given the training, it would not only give them the technical know-how to improve fish production but also boost their economy and provide direct employment opportunities for young school leavers”.
About 1,200 others were trained as Taraba Marshals who are to basically serve as security marshals, Environmental Marshals and Traffic marshals in the state.
The chief consultant of the Marshal training programme, Flt-Lt Shehu Ya’u (rtd) told newsmen in Jalingo that the 1200 youths selected were placed on permanent pay roll of the state government, “on a monthly salary of between N15,000 and N18,000.”
The Taraba marshals who were selected from across 16 Local government areas of the state underwent paramilitary training for six months after which they were deployed to work in three key sectors namely, security, environment and traffic.
Ya’u added that the best 400 after the physical training would proceed on leadership training in Jos to prepare them for further challenges ahead.
He said the security Marshalls would assist security agents especially in area of information gathering while the environmental Marshalls would help in identifying areas that would likely be flooded and assist the relevant agencies in evacuation of people as well as assist in maintaining the drainage channels.
On their part, the traffic Marshalls would assist the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in traffic and crowd control.
The consultant noted that the Marshalls, who are between the ages of 18 to 35 years, are free to go for further studies without losing their jobs.
“We have selected secondary school leavers and diploma holders but if any one of them wants to go for further studies, they can be released on study leave with pay,” he explained.
Still under the phase 1 of SURE-P implementation in the state, about 600 unemployed youths were said to have been trained in fingerlings production to make them self-reliant.
In the same vein, 1,500 motorcycles were distributed to the youths to be used for commercial purposes in the local government areas while 400 tricycles were distributed to youths in Jalingo Metropolis for use.
Each of the beneficiaries is to pay 40% of the cost of each motorcycle and tricycle as a result of the subsidy from the government.
The beneficiaries were warned not to sell or transfer ownership of the tricycles or motorcycles to any other person until completion of their payments.
In order to boost stable power supply in hospitals, Abdulhadi said a total of 10 units of 40KVA and 15 units of 100KVA transformers were distributed to various hospitals across the state.
To ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the programme, Alhaji Lau said, 4 Hilux vans and a 406 Saloon car were purchased for routine monitoring.
With the success recorded in the first phase of the SURE-P, the state has now gone ahead to launch the second phase of the programme to capture other youths and women that could not be absorbed in the first phase.
The second phase of the programme which was recently flagged off has been expanded to involve unemployed graduates with about 1,700 of them currently undergoing training at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).
The Commissioner for Social Welfare, Youth and Sports Abdulhadi Haruna Lau said at the flag off that a total of 8,500 youths and women will be trained in skills such as fingerlings production, paint making, welding and fabrication, salon/hairdressing, welding, vulcanizing, tailoring, food  processing and liquid detergent production amongst others.
“I state without mincing words here that with the wide experiences gained during the execution of the first phase of the programme, we have no doubt in our mind that the project this time will also register a huge success and our youths shall acquire skills to make them self-reliant,” he said.