By Omolola Dede Adeyanju
The Director General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo has assured Nigerians of employment under the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The DG spoke at the NDE special day at the Lagos International Trade Fair yesterday.
In his opening remark, the DG commended the Directorate’s partnership with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) over the years noting that the theme of the 2023 trade fair “Connecting Businesses, Creating Value,” is supportive to the achievements of the NDE mandate of economy growth and national development.
“In NDE, we believe that the essence of business connection or collaboration is to make up where the other party is deficient. Amazing things happen when like-minded people are committed to a single goal. Connectivity and collaboration are indices of a great economy.
“This is more crucial to sub-sectors such as Agriculture, Mining, Entrepreneurship, Small and Micro Enterprise (SMEs) development which when powered by Skills Acquisition training programmes offered by NDE, with her expanded collaborative synergy will create many jobs and enhance economic growth.”
The DG also disclosed that the Directorate in the last three years has created a pool of artisans numbering Four Million, One Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighteen (4,194,718) under its four core programmes namely Vocational Skills Development, Small Scale Enterprises, Special Public Works and the Rural Employment Promotion.
He revealed that they also leverage on opportunities presented by international trade fairs such as this to link NDE entrepreneurs to international markets with their products and services thereby assisting the Federal Government to earn foreign exchange for national economic stability and growth.
The DG therefore called on all unskilled and unemployed persons in Nigeria to embrace the opportunities for self reliance as presented in all states of the federation by the NDE.
“We are committed to the provision of innovative ideas and employment created on models that will continue to compliment economic policies of the Federal Government,” he said.