Group to address joblessness among Nigerian youth

Mr Richard Romanus, the National Programme Manager, Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO) expressed determination to address the prevailing unemployment among the youth in Nigeria.

Supreme News reports that, YESSO 2.0 is a federal government’s social investment programme under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

Romanus stated this on Monday when he paid a working visit to the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Abuja.

He expressed his readiness to partner with the directorate towards providing an enduring intrapreneurship skills that would help the youngsters to realise their potentialities.

According to him, the initiative have became imperative as it would deliver the youths from the shackles of poverty, deprivation and exploitation by engaging them in productive ventures.

“We are here to seek for collaboration and support from stakeholders like the NDE to support us achieve the set goals for the commencement of YESSO 2.0 Programme” he said

“We are ready to partner with your organisation with a view to enhancing employment opportunities for thousands of Nigerian Youths in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We have identified NDE as a major player in the success of our programme 1.0, that’s why we are here to seek the same support towards making the YESSO 2.0 even bigger and more successful” he said

Romanus said, YESSO 2.0 has lined up programmes for implementation that will enable the teeming youth population in Nigeria to become gainfully employed to maximize their entrepreneurial potential.

“Many young people are unemployed not because there was no job for them, but because they do not have the required and marketable skills that would provide them with employment skills and opportunities”

“YESSO programme was about training on skills for jobs, so we will partner with NDE to train these thousand of youths on marketable skills that will make them self-employed.

” We would ensure that they have startup funds where possible” the programme manager said.

Earlier, the Director General of the NDE, Mr Abubakar Fikpo, represented by the Director, Vocational Skills Development, Mr. Issah Abdu, expressed the readiness of the Directorate to support the YESSO’s initiative.

He assured that the Directorate would continue to partner with relevant institutions towards supporting federal government’s efforts in addressing youth unemployment that will lead to poverty reduction in the country.

The D-G used the opportunity to congratulate the newly appointed manager of YESSO 2.0 and his team.

Fikpo maintained that, the administration of youth related programmes must be run bu the youth themselves.

He said, NDE had successfully executed the implementation of YESSO 1.0 Programme through collaboration with the World Bank.

He therefore assured the visitors that NDE will partner different segment of YESSO 2.0 programme to ensure its success.

The D-G also told the gathering that NDE has no fewer than 96 vocational skills acquisition centres across the country.

He said, the centres includes Agricultural and Mobile Training Centres as well as Workshop booths in rural areas spread across the country