By Ankeli Emmanuel (In Sokoto State)
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has commenced the orientation and loan disbursement for "Start Your Own Business" (SYOB) and Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES) to over 77 beneficiaries in Sokoto State.
Explaining the rational behind the loan, the Head of Department (HOD) of Small Scale Enterprise (SSE) Department of the NDE, Hajiya Hafsat Abdulkadir Abubakar, said the agency is ever ready to continue putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians through its numerous skill development and acquisition programmes.
She also appealed to all beneficiaries to kindly make judicious use of whatever they are given to become self employed and employers of labour subsequently.
Speaking in her goodwill message, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Hon Kulu Abdullahi Sifawa, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Barrister Aisha Dantsoho, said NDE has been a long term worthy partner of the State and Ministry.
While noting that the NDE has remained a key partner in Sokoto state towards enhancing the living standards of the people, Kulu Sifawa said, the beneficiaries should see themselves as lucky to have been so favoured.
She also reminded them that it is a loan and not a gift, hence the need for them to pay back in due time for others to also benefit as a revolving fund. "I am glad that for this year, there are a good number of people with disability as beneficiaries, and that entails gender inclusivity, which we will continue to clamour for". Kulu noted.
Delivering his keynote address, the Managing Director of NDE, Malam Abubakar Nuhu Fipko, represented by the Sokoto State Coordinator of NDE, Malami Mustapha Aliyu Goniri, said the introduced Start-Your- Own-Business scheme is aimed at training graduates of tertiary institutions on entrepreneurship and business management skills.
He also said that the Micro Enterprise and Enhancement Scheme is an innovation introduced by the NDE to help fight poverty and encourage micro enterprise to help boost economic activity in our respective communities.
While advising that people should embrace self employment, Fikpo maintained that the increase in unemployment in the already over bloated labour market can only result in frustration, rise in anti-social activities such as restiveness, prostitution, robbery, kidnapping and other social ills.
Malam Goniri, the representative of the Director General of NDE, explained that, they deployed sincere gender inclusiveness in the beneficiaries, including people living with disability, as a way of carrying everybody along.
He also disclosed that the beneficiaries are categorized into two, with the first being 3 persons of SYOB and 77 in the MEES.
"The 3 persons for the SYOB will be given N500,000 each, while the 74 other beneficiaries of the MEES will be given 20,000 each".
He further explained that repayment for both categories will begin after 6 months. "Those of SYOB will repay in two and half year, while those of MEES will repay within one-year".
In their respective vote of thanks, one of the beneficiaries, Aisha Mohammed, promised that they will make judicious use of the loan. She also assured that they will repay the loan by God's grace for others to benefit as well. NNL.
