NDE: Fubara Pledges Job  Creation for Rivers Women, Youths

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has pledged the Rivers State Government’s supports to boost the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) programmes aimed at creating jobs for women and youths in the state.

The governor made the pledge while addressing the delegation of the NDE led by the Director-General (DG), Mallam Silas Agara, in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

Fubara noted that the NDE, decades ago, used to be a critical factor in employment generation based on merit for the unemployed who didn’t have to have any connection to benefit, wondering if the NDE of today still operates with the same integrity.

The governor applauded President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in promoting job creation and employment for the teeming youths of the country, stressing that such interventions deserve appreciation and partnership from the States.

Governor Fubara told Agara that, “Rivers State, like you mentioned, is a unique one because of the economic activities in the State.” 

“The  oil exploration and other commercial activities here, with three sea ports and an international airport. 

“So you can imagine the kind of economic activities. And there is this surge in the city, with everybody leaving the rural areas to the urban area in search of jobs. 

“There is also migration from the neighbouring states with people coming into Rivers to look for a better life. So, the only way we can help, not just the people of Rivers State, but also strangers, is to create opportunities and make it easy for them to get something doing.”

He pointed out that doing so will create a win-win situation as most issues of insecurity will also be resolved as the people are gainfully engaged in meaningful economic activities.

On current value the NDE is adding in creating job opportunities in the State, the governor said: “I am happy the State is benefitting from the NDE, especially as we have our youths that are also benefitting from your programmes.”

He expressed excitement that the agency has three farm centres in the state, which though, he was not initially aware of their existence, promised to mandate the Commissioner for Employment Generation and Economic Empowerment to furnish him with information about the farms and how his administration can assist in making them viable.

The governor harped on empowering the women in the rural areas as the effect of rural-urban migration by the youths has left them to bear greater burdens in the rural areas and assured them  of his support to ensure they are properly engaged especially with such agricultural programmes of the NDE.

Fubara emphasised that his government is committed to expanding economic opportunities which he said was the reason behind his building a new road to the Atlantic Ocean shoreline in Ngo, Andoni Local Government Area for the nation to tap into the blue economy.

He explained that the government took the initiative to build the road because of a beach located in Oyorokoto, a fishing settlement and tourist centre, which attracts yearly visitation of people for picnics and beach parties during the Yuletide season. 

“So, we wanted to give easy access to that beach, in order to boost the economic lives of the people around there. But while doing that, we discovered a new shoreline at Ngo that is more economically viable than the Oyorokoto beach.”

Governor Fubara noted that the shoreline, which is facing the Atlantic Ocean, will attract enormous  marine investment for the nation with lots of potential for tourist activities as the government intends to bring in the right investors. 

“This will create jobs, grow the economy and improve development. I may not know what that place will be in the next 20 to 30 years. We might not be there again, but I know we have created something that will benefit not just Rivers State but Nigeria as a whole.

The governor assured them  that his government will  support every move to make sure that the collaboration with NDE will yield a better result, not just for Rivers State but also promote the government at the center.

Earlier, Agara commended Governor Fubara for his landmark infrastructural development and his disposition towards strengthening the economy of the State. 

He noted that they were in the State to seek partnership with the government in enhancing job creation and employment generation for the youths and women in the State.

Agara enumerated various programmes of the NDE in Rivers State that are geared towards the empowerment of youths and reiterated that securing a place in the programme is through the agency’s online portal without having to know any person within the agency.

According to him, “Rivers is one of the major belts when it comes to blue economy and your footprints are everywhere. This is the first time NDE is coming with a high powered delegation to any State of the federation assembling our crack team from the national level including the State officers.