BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has flagged off training for no fewer than 690 persons across the 23 local government areas of Sokoto state on various skills.
Those to undergo the training include 460 Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS) and an additional 230 graduates of B-NOAS into the Advance National Open Apprenticeship Scheme.
Speaking in his keynote address, the Director General of NDE, Malam Abubakar Nuhu Fipko said what they are doing is giving statutory mandate to their agency which is to create mass employment for unskilled and unemployed persons in Nigeria.
Fipko who was re-presented by the Sokoto State Coordinator of NDE, Mrs Eunice DanMalam said the training will amongst other benefits acquaint participants with modern methods of service delivery in their specific trades, enhance marketability of B-NOAS graduates, open doors to increased opportunities as well as help in curbing societal crimes.
Said Malam Filko,, “I am glad to inform you that the capacity of the NDE as the leading Federal Government Agency in skill acquisition, job creation, employment generation and poverty reduction in Nigeria has once again been demonstrated”.
While noting that they remained committed to creating sustainably decent jobs for skilled and unskilled Nigerians, the NDE boss added that, “we are flagging off the training of 460 B-NOAS and 230 Graduates of our B-NOAS into our A-NOAS training in the 23 local government areas of Sokoto State in various vocational skills such as welding, handset repairs, motorcycle repairs, knitting, fashion design, computer appreciation and hair dressing.
In what the participants stand to gain, Mrs. Eunice said the training is at no cost, adding they will rather be entitled to stipends within the period of the training.
She further appealed to other tiers of government as well as well meaning individuals to join forces with the Federal Government in the fight against mass unemployment in Nigeria.
Giving his views, one of the trainers on Dye, Tsalhatu Umar of Nasara Dye in Marina area of the state metropolis said the NDE has been executing various programmes targeted at enabling unemployed persons to become meaningfully engaged.
Responding on behalf of the participants, Malam Iliyasu Abubakar and Rukaya Mohammed thanked the NDE for finding them worthy amongst many others to be impacted with such a skill free of charge.
They also promised to step down the training for others to become self sufficient.
