Reducing graduate unemployment in Nasarawa
An empowerment programme initiated recently by Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura which has currently employed 1, 470 young people, could do well to consider the large number of graduates the universities churn out yearly. A beneficiary of the youth employment scheme, who gave his name as Sarki, is awaiting posting in Keana Local Government Area, south […]
An empowerment programme initiated recently by Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura which has currently employed 1, 470 young people, could do well to consider the large number of graduates the universities churn out yearly.
A beneficiary of the youth employment scheme, who gave his name as Sarki, is awaiting posting in Keana Local Government Area, south of Nasarawa State, as a community watcher, after his mandatory two weeks training in profiling on communities.
He is to receive a monthly wage of N10, 000 for doing his job which involves helping government identify and expose intent of hostilities among community members as well as identify and expose routes and hideouts of criminal gangs and their collaborators use.
Sarki’s job includes carrying out border surveillance, all aimed at checking and reducing the incidences of communal crises and criminalities.
In Karu, Adam, another graduate of the two weeks training is awaiting positing, possibly at Mararaba, one of the areas adjoining Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where indiscriminate dumping of refuse has defied all known checks. He was trained as a sanitary inspector. He too will smile home with a monthly wage of N10, 000 for helping urban authorities including the Nasarawa State Urban Development Board (NUDB) in the enforcement of sanitary laws.
He has been given the needed orientation to contribute towards environmental cleanliness, sanitation, sustainability and public health, while also taken out of unemployment.
On her part, Miss Jummai left the NYSC Orientation Camp in Keffi, venue of the training, to return to Wamba, where she is expecting posting in the metropolis of the local government headquarters, as a traffic marshal. She has N10, 000 to grab at the end of every month. She will assist authorities in the area in directing traffic, and checking against wrong parking and all forms of illegal road use.
Essentially, she is to assist the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the discharge of their duties in the areas of the regulation of vehicular movement and de-congestion of urban centres.
The Traffic Marshalls will also be useful in creating awareness among road users with a view to reducing accidents and violation of traffic regulations in line with FRSC operations.
Sarki, Adam and Jumai are provided with pairs of uniforms; complete with apparels to stand them out, and earn them respect. While Sarki graduated with a pair of red shirts and black trousers, with black cap and black belt and boots to match, Adam was handed a white top to go with the same attire as the former. Jumai will wear a yellow shirt on duty.
The three are among 1,470 graduates of a youths’ empowerment programme called Nasarawa Youths Empowerment Scheme (NA-YES), one of the initiatives of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura for addressing youth unemployment, and by extension, curtail youth restiveness in the state.
NA-YES will draw down a yearly sum of about N40 million, according to Murtala Mohammed Adogi, a development expert serving as the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Youths Empowerment and Job Creation.
The 1,470 passed out from the training as road marshals, sanitary inspectors and community watchers. The youths are between 22 and 40 years with about 30 percent women. They will be posted to headquarters of local government areas and development areas, as well as other strategic locations needing such personnel.
Governor Al-Makura during the graduation day last week assured that more of such deliberate programmes would continue.
He recalled that, in keeping with the determination of his administration to ensure sustainable human development and create employment opportunities for the youth, government has introduced various youth empowerment programmes in the state in the past three years.
According to him, 1000 youths who graduated in December, 2013 were trained in various skills. The trainees were provided with equipment worth the sum of N10 million to enable them set up their business ventures for self-employment and actualization.
The governor’s aide Adogi said retired military personnel, environmental health workers and other stakeholders with good knowledge in security, sanitary inspection and road traffic regulations were assembled as consultants to give the training to the new recruits.
He particularly said of ‘community watchers, “They will play significant roles in facilitating community dialogue, to stave off the reoccurrence of the ugly incident of bloody crises that hit the state in the past two years.”
Sarki, one of the graduates told Daily Trust at the passing out ceremony that he had stayed without a job for over four years after completion of a diploma programme in Accounting.