The Industrial Training Fund (ITF ) has said that 20.9 million Nigerian youths are unemployed and attributed the cause to lack of productive skills.
The Director General, Industrial Training Fund, Mr. Joseph Arii, said that President Buhari’s administration has made tremendous efforts to create jobs.
“Today across the length and breadth of the country are visible evidence of the government’s efforts to get Nigerians engaged. From social investment programmes like N-Power initiative, Tradermoni, Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme, GEEP and Home Grown School Feeding Programme to the numerous skills acquisition programmes being implemented by agencies like the ITF, the government has done enough to be applauded.
“ITF has for instance equipped over 450,000 Nigerians with life skills and empowered all the beneficiaries with start-up packs within the last two years. Over 80percent of this number today are earning sustainable livelihoods either in paid employment or successful entrepreneurs who are employing others“ he explained.
According to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Sunday Akpan, President Buhari has strengthened the country’s resolve to stem rising unemployment by creating jobs through the provision of employable skills for Nigeria’s teeming youth population.
It is on this basis that the ministry charged ITF to come up with revolutionary multi-faceted job wealth creation strategies that would lead to a lasting solution to this hydra-headed problem.
MM/as/APA