Youths

By Jethro Ibileke

No fewer that 416 graduates of Environmental Beautification Training Scheme of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) have been empowered with tools and cash worth several millions of naira by the Directorate.

The beneficiaries who graduated in 2018, were from across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The Edo State Coordinator of NDE, Ms. Ayo Edegbai, disclosed this on Wednesday in Benin, at an event organized for the distribution of equipment and cash worth N1.2 million to 11 youths trained on interlocking tiles and plaster of Paris (POP), in the State.

Edegbai who was represented at the event by Nasiru Ladan-Argungu, said the gesture was to mark another strides of the Directorate in the actualization of its mandate of job creation and poverty reduction.

She urged the beneficiaries to use the equipment and cash for the purpose they were intended for.

She added that the gesture was under the Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS) of the NDE.

According to the Edo NDE boss, “The beneficiaries were equipped to enable them become self-reliant and to be employers of labour.

“This would be able to unlock their potentials as leaders, take the country into the future, as well as maximise the qualities of their lives.

“Today’s milestone is a demonstration of NDE’s support to youth investment, as it has provided requisite tools and cash to a total of 416 graduates of 2018 Environmental Beautification Training Scheme in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to start and grow their businesses, as budding landscaping service operator

“The EBTS initiative is to offer youthful school leaver participants, employability skills and learning experiences that transfer hard and soft landscaping skills to them on-the-job, while serving on attachment with experienced landscaping service providers in the informal sector”, Edegbai said.

She commended the State Government for providing the enabling environment for NDE job creation programmes to thrive.