Chief Emeka Ihedioha.


Amby Uneze in Owerri
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has pledged to strengthen the women and youth empowerment programmes being organised by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha.

The State Coordinator of NDE, Mr. Jeja Isichei, who gave the reassurance while unveiling the scheme for trainees of Owerri zone, said that attendance registers, identity cards, workshop codes and uniforms had already been procured by the Directorate for onward distribution to the  beneficiaries for proper training.

Isichei said that the Directorate, which came on board in 1986, is poised to develop work and wealth-creation programmes, attitudinal change and economic self reliance, and therefore called for seriousness, hard work, humility and dedication to duty from the trainees for them to equally become employers of labour.

Ihedioha, represented by his Special Adviser (Special Duties), Chief Ernest Ibejiako, disclosed that 20,000 trainees would be engaged to smoothen the training of the beneficiaries with relevant tools and sundry incentives, while the government would open bank accounts for them where all money given to them would be deposited for effective and transparent management.
“Part of my mission is to de-saturate the already-saturated labour market in Imo and in doing this, we will touch all places of the state”, he assured.
The pilot programme, he said, had been packaged to accommodate members of such organisations as the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) NUT, NUJ, NULGE, the Catholic and Anglican churches as well as the physically challenged Persons.

Also, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Imo State University (IMSU), Prof.  Ukachukwu Awuzie, who was represented by the institution's Public Relations Officer, Mr. Njoku Obi, and the deputy chairman of the state council of traditional rulers (Owerri zone) HRH, Eze Chidume Okoro described the skill acquisition programme as a credible antidote to  create jobs for the teeming  unemployed women and youths in the state.

They therefore enjoined the beneficiaries to apply hard work, patience, perseverance, dedication and commitment to their vocation to enable them to succeed. “With this programme you will be able to assert yourselves in society and also become employers of labour in your respective areas of specialisation”, they added.