In this report, CHRISTIAN APPOLOS, brings to light stakeholders’ opinions on National Directorate of Employment’s School on Wheels and other job creation training programmes regarding adequate support and funding.
The importance of blue collar jobs in the efforts to engage unemployed Nigerians in gainful economic activities, has continued to take the centre stage of discussions of scholars and stakeholders. Abia State University Mass Communication Lecturer, Mr Emenike Ikedichi UBANI, at a recent forum in Abuja, stressed that scarcity of white collar job calls for the Federal and State governments to seriously explore the option of engaging the unemployed persons in entrepreneurial skills and as well support them to kickstart businesses.
He said the benefits of a well managed entrepreneurial skill programmes are enormous to Nigeria’s insecurity situation, economic growth, alarming rate of poverty and general wellbeing of the citizens. Ubani noted that the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), an agency of the Federal government saddled with the responsibility of job creation already has many effective and implementable jobs creation schemes that if implemented, will do wonders in the Federal government’s efforts to quell the ever swelling Nigeria unemployment figures.
He further said that findings from studies on effectiveness of NDE’s job/skills acquisition and empowerment programmes, reveals that the Directorate’s entrepreneurial trainings and empowerment programmes have established many successful businesses that have given jobs to many unemployed persons. He went on to query why successive governments in Nigeria relegated the NDE; literally denying many unemployed Nigerians opportunity of jobs/gainful entrepreneurship engagements they would have gained through NDE’s numerous job creation schemes and programmes, after promises of job creation.
However, the Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, when contacted on the issue said the Federal government having understood that crime and insecurity have serious link with the alarming rate of unemployment in the country, has been doing so much to provide viable solutions that will translate to engaging many unemployed persons in various sustainable economic activities. He noted that government understood that it’s better to engage idle hands in gainful economic activities, knowing that while they earn income, they will be contributing to the Gross Domestic Product of the nation at the same time.
Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, further said, “Through the NDE, FG designs soothing micro, small and medium entrepreneurial schemes and programmes purposefully to engage unemployed Nigerians who are interested in blue collar jobs. We’ve trained and supported many, and government is working hard to do more” He added that NDE Management and various departments are tirelessly working everyday to proffer solutions to the country’s unemployment crisis. “We do this by designing schemes that are not only implementable but result-oriented.”
The DG gave instance of a particular job provision training scheme of NDE called School on Wheels (SOW).. “SOW is a unique NDE job creation training scheme designed to take opportunities to the rural areas. It is a concept that deploys training facilities to communities where infrastructures are not available or inadequate. The concept of SOW has a prime mover and a caravan. The caravan is outfitted with various training tools. The caravan convey the tools in different trades to a remote area where training has been scheduled to hold. And the training equipments are displayed in the caravan.”
He went on to explain that when SOW caravan land in locality where a training in scheduled to hold; “It will be mounted there and those interested in learning various skills will be recruited. The theory and practical class are demonstrated in the caravan for a period long enough for the trainees to acquire the skills. Sometimes based on availability of funds, we provide beneficiaries with a loan either in cash or in kind. In cash, we give them monies to go acquire the equipments they need to run the businesses they have been trained on. In kind, we go with them to the market, select the items they need, buy and give them. So, that is the concept of the School on Wheels.”
The SOW story of the NDE DG sound so interesting that our reporter decided to visit the National Directorate of Employment’s Enugu and Kaduna State offices to investigate the existence of the scheme and the tools used for its implementation.
At Enugu, investigation confirmed the existence of SOW to be true. The NDE State Coordinator, Mrs Ifeoma Ezekwe, showed our correspondent the main tools used in the scheme training (the prime mover and caravan). Responding to questions she said; “As a State Coordinator, I can tell you that the School on Wheels training is not a myth. It is not just a job creation tool that provides skills and employment opportunities for a lot of unemployed Nigerians, but also a tool meant to curb urban-rural migration.”
She went on to say; “Unfortunately in recent time, due to shortfall in taking the School on Wheels training to the rural areas because of poor funding, a lot of young people in the rural areas have now move into the urban areas and the consequences includes the unrest and security challenges we are facing now.
“For instance, we just finished registration of the unemployed persons. It will interest you to know that the number of unemployed people we have in the rural areas is really scary. So, adequate funding of the NDE’s job creation entrepreneurial skill programmes like School on Wheel will go a long way to checkmate unemployment rate in the country. Meanwhile, equipping, youths in the rural areas with entrepreneurial skills will go along way to reduce security challenges.
“So I strongly canvass that aside from government, private organizations should partner NDE on School on Wheels and other job creation programmes. Every State should have at least two caravans that will be outfitted with at least six skills, bearing in mind that we are in the year 2023. One of the caravans must have tools to teach young ones computer software coding, editing, and many other IT related skills, because the future workplaces require such skills. And the other must should tools to teach catering, fashion designing and hairdressing.”
Mr Ahmed Kawure, NDE Kaduna State Coordinator, said; “The School on Wheels training of the NDE is such a unique programme. The most important reason is because it is community based. It is fashioned in a way that it meets community needs especially in the area of empowering their youths with entrepreneurial business opportunities needed for economic activities.”
In response to further questions he said; “There was a community we had a training sometime ago, and some parents came shedding tears, thanking us for what we have done for their children. You cannot believe the situation of many youths in some rural areas in terms of what to do to sustain life. So it is always a thing of joy in many communities when we land on their door step to train and equip their children with skills that will help them put daily food on the table. But unfortunately, the meager fund we get doesn’t allow us accommodate many of these youths who are willing to acquire skills to start up businesses.
“For instance, three months ago we recruited 115 youths under our School on Wheels’ business basic skill for three months. We trained them on fashion designing, catering, shoe and bag making. But due to poor availability of fund, we are only able to support 46 of them with tools to commence the basic business we trained them on.
“Some people say that youths are not willing to learn skills to start up business, that is not true. You cannot rule out the fact that some of them want to do something else but I can tell you as a State Coordinator here in Kaduna that many of them want to undertake our trainings and create jobs for themselves. Among those we trained and supported to start up, many are doing so well that they have employed people. Some of them are doing so well that they now serve as our trainers in some rural areas.
“So in the interest of job creation for the teeming unemployed Nigerians and to engage the youths to be productive and stay away from criminal tendencies, Federal and State governments, and successful businessmen and women should support the NDE to popularize and drive the job creation efforts to the rural areas. The gains of engaging especially our youths in entrepreneurial business venture are more rewarding than otherwise.
“Seriously there is a need for targeted action through provision of entrepreneurial business opportunities for Nigerians in the absence of white collar jobs. So the Federal and State governments and International organizations must all help to ensure that our young ones are engaged in meaningful business enterprises.”
Mrs. Elizabeth, a beneficiary of NDE School on Wheels training on catering in Kaduna said; what NDE has done for me is beyond words expression. I did not know Nigeria government still provide such opportunity for the citizens. It has been long I wanted to learn a trade to help sustain my family. So when this training opportunity came, I grabbed it and strictly attended each training session. I was even surprised they said they will give us some tools to startup the business. This business will go along way to help my family. I will even ensure that my children learn catering skills from me, who knows where it will be of help to them tomorrow.
“I advice the youths out there especially the female once to grab opportunities like this whenever they come across it. The way economic situation in the country is now, if you don’t have skill to help you earn a living, you will not find it easy. The most unfortunate thing is that it cost so much to learn any trade in Nigeria now. So I urged the Federal government to support NDE to do more trainings and empowerments like this.”
