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By Nasir Kura
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N5.5 billion for the training and provision of devices to 12,000 youth under the N-Power Knowledge Multi-Track Youth Empowerment Programme.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Budget and National Planning Mr Udoma Udo Udoma when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber of Presidential Villa in Abuja.
He said the programme targets 12,000 young Nigerians of between the ages of 18 and 25 years , and it intends to transform them from unemployed, under-employed trainees to employed citizens and entrepreneurs.
The minister said the firm which the training was awarded to, Messrs Softcam, would work with the officials of the Social Investment Programme on the exercise which would cost government N259,000 per youth and N207,000 for work tools.
He said the training would enable beneficiaries build and imbibe technical proficiency such as assembling, repairs, maintenance and technology skills and digital literacy.
“One of the projects approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) today is knowledge, youth and empowerment programme. Now, this programme targets 12,000 young Nigerians of between the ages of 18-25 years. It is meant to give them trainings and devices. The trainings intend to transform the 12,000 beneficiaries from unemployed, under-employed trainees to employed citizens and entrepreneurs.
“It will deliver to 12,000 beneficiaries informed trainings which will enable beneficiaries build and imbibe technical proficiency such as assembling, repairs, maintenance as well as technology skills and digital literacy across a wide range of electronic brands, products and technology which can be grouped into three areas – mobile devices, computing devices and commonly used electronic devices irrespective of their socio-economic backgrounds.
“It’s a programme that is open to all unemployed youths across the six geopolitical zones. Each of the 12,000 targeted beneficiaries will be empowered to train 5,000 youths via a training platform which means they will need to translate the jobs to 60,000 additional jobs because each of the 12,000 is empowered to train five other youths via a training platform and engage them on his or her platform,’’ he said.
