Mr Nasiru Muhammed, the newly appointed Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has promised to tackle unemployment among Nigerian youth and discourage Nigerians seeking jobs in Europe.
Muhammed made the promise while taking over as the new D-G of NDE on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said that President Muhammadu Buhari posted him to the NDE with a clear mandate to make the directorate work, adding that his ambition was to follow the mandate through.
According to him, what we are planning in the nearest future is to export labour, no Nigerian will henceforth travel to Europe to look for job
He said that the new NDE would not be about creating jobs alone, but how it could help assist those who are already into petty jobs that could be expanded to accommodate others.
“The new NDE will go from ward to ward and local governments, to the extent that we will look at a lady selling Zobo (local drink) and how we can come in to help improve on such business.”
Muhammed said that unemployed Nigerian youth would have to now apply through the NDE website and interview would be conducted and they would be posted to where they are needed.
“We will touch the lives of each Nigerian; we will look at the facilities in the states and improve upon them to create jobs for Nigerian youths.”
Mr Olakunle Obayan, the outgoing D-G, NDE, called for additional funding of NDE, adding that the directorate had a powerful mandate that required additional funding to be functional.
He said that all manners of unemployed Nigerians were accommodated in the NDE, saying NDE caters for all shades of Nigerian including youths, school dropout and retirees among others.
Obayan said that NDE would not collect a dime from anyone that approaches it for a job, while calling on Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters who solicited money from them to get a job.
He listed four major schemes that NDE provided to include; agriculture, vocational scheme, entrepreneur, and skill acquisition.
“You are in a good place and the youths need our attention, we have to make NDE work in other to attract the needed funding.” (NAN)