By: Vitalis Ugoh, Calabar
Twenty-six persons in Cross River state have successfully graduated from the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Starter Packs: Environmental Beautification training scheme (EBTS) under the Special public works (SPW) department.
About four million Naira was shared among the beneficiaries to enable them open up their own businesses.
Speaking at the disbursement ceremony organized at the Federal Secretariat complex, Murtala Mohammed highway, Calabar, the Director General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, stated that this is just one of the numerous schemes that the NDE utilizes for poverty reduction, employment generation as well as wealth creation for the teaming youth population across the country.
He reiterated the fact that the NDE has four program departments as well as of other service departments which provide the drive for the Directorate to achieve that onerous task of job creation across the country.
His address was read by the Cross River state Co-ordinator, Mr Udam Gabriel Ugbashi who urged the beneficiaries not to look at this gesture of the Federal government as a national cake but as a loan which must surely be paid back.
’’The NDE has developed various strategies for its loan recovery and so all efforts must be put in place by you all to repay back the loan to enable other unemployed youths to benefit from this loan.”
Earlier, the State Co-ordinator told the beneficiaries that they should consider themselves privileged to be chosen for the loan from the vast number of graduate trainees across the country.
He also urged them to justify the huge resources invested by the government on the exercise by not only putting in their best in their various vocations but also to make sure that the loans are repaid in the stipulated time frame after the moratorium period of 6 months.
The state coordinator was represented by Mr Michael Ugbong, Assistant Director.
He said that the Directorate has for 35 years been in the forefront of employment generation in the country as evidenced in the various programs implemented yearly by the directorate.
A goodwill message from the Director Special Public works department NDE headquarters Abuja Mrs Roseline Olaomi was read by her representative Mrs Bimbola Olorunponmi of NDE headquarters Abuja.
Ugbashi thanked the Director General for finding indigene s of the state worthy to benefit from this exercise while assuring the him that the state NDE team would continue to do its utmost to drive the vision of NDE to it’s destination.
