Against the backdrop of its continued drive towards the actualization of its mandate of Poverty alleviation, Employment generation and wealth creation, the National Directorate of Employment NDE has flag off the resettlement of thirty six (36) unemployed youths across the state in six trendy skills: Hair dressing, fashion design, electrical installation, barbing, DSTV installation and tiling .
The empowerment exercises which started on the 14 March this year is being carried out after imparting the beneficiaries with the requisite skills that will enable them to start businesses of their own the by contributing their own quota to the Enhancement of the GDP of the country.
Speaking at the Flag off/orientation ceremony of the resettlement scheme at the conference hall of the Federal secretariat calabar, the Director General of the NDE in his keynote address reiterated that it is in line with the mandate of the NDE which is geared towards providing gainful self employment to the teeming unemployed youths of the country that among other schemes, the National Directorate of employment through the Vocational skills Development program embarked on this exercise to actualize this mandate of the Directorate.
The Director General who was represented by the state Coordinator of the NDE Cross River state Mr Udam Gabriel Ugbashi added that the NDE has carefully selected these beneficiaries from the teeming unemployed youths population based on their interest on the skills sets, gender, age and both federal constituencies and Senatorial districts.
Earlier in his welcome address, the state Coordinator Mr Udam Gabriel Ugbashi informed the beneficiaries to consider themselves lucky to be selected from the teeming unemployed in the state and urged them put to proper use the tools and equipment being given to them as starter packs. In his welcome address the Coordinator who was represented by an Assistant Director and the Head of Department of the Rural Employment promotions department of the NDE Mr Michael Ugbong added that having put in so much resources in the funding of the exercise by the federal government via the NDE, the beneficiaries should put in their best and make sure that the objective of the resettlement exercise is achieved.
In her goodwill message to the trainees, the Acting Director of the Vocational Skills Department,NDE Headquarters Abuja, Mrs Amina Shettima admonished the beneficiaries to understand that while the NDE owe them an obligation to empower them with the requisite skills to succeed as well as Providing them with starter packages it was , they also owe the Nation the obligation to put what they have been provided into proper use. The Acting Director who was represented by Mr Haroun Eze from NDE headquarters Abuja added that the beneficiaries should make sure that loans are fully repaid in order to enable the Directorate to extend their mandate to other unemployed youths in the country.
Finally,a beneficiary of the scheme Mrs Uju Ubi thanked the Federal Government for finding them worthy to be part of the exercise. He promised on behalf of her colleagues that they will put in their best to make sure that the investment of the Federal Government in the exercise will not be in vain