The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has trained over 936 unemployed youths in Kwara in 2022, the state NDE Coordinator, Mr. Aba Timothy, has said.
Timothy said in an in an interview in Ilorin on Wednesday that the skills acquisition training was aimed at reducing unemployment in the state.
He said that the youths who benefited from the scheme were trained on sustainable agriculture, environmental beatification, horticulture among others.
The coordinator urged youths in the state to key into the skill acquisition programmes of the agency rather than allow politicians to use them as thugs.
He also appealed to the youths to shun drug abuse and other anti-social vices, so as to chart a better future for themselves.
The NDE coordinator appealed to individuals and corporate organisations to collaborate with the agency in the training of the youths.
He said that some youths trained by the NDE had received facilities and loans to set up their own businesses.
“After training them, we support them with some equipment or tools, they come back to give testimony.
“During the training we gave the beneficiaries stipends or transport allowance to encourage them and for them not to skip going to their acquisition centers.
“All our staff acquired skills for us to properly train the youths, and also we have counseling department where we counsel them on what to do to be independent”, said the coordinator.
He urged Nigerian youths to take advantage of NDE programmes for them to be self-reliant.
Timothy called for more budgetary allocation for NDE to enable it contribute more to reducing unemployment in the country.