Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has flagged-off the federal government N-Power program for 4,530 successful beneficiaries in Lokoja, the state capital.
Governor Bello during the flagging off, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for the initiative aimed at empowering unemployed graduates across the federation, while also charging the beneficiaries to be diligent and give their best in the discharge of their duty.
The N-Power deployment exercise is a two years program created by the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, which is designed to drastically reduce unemployment in the country.
The focus is to provide the young graduates and non-graduates with the skills, tools and livelihood to enable them advance from unemployment to employment, entrepreneurship and innovation from various states of the federation.
The Kogi state government is the first to flag it off, with the belief that keying into the opportunity, would reduce unemployment and crime rate.
It is set to target Nigeria’s critical needs in education, agriculture, technology, creative, construction and artisan industries.
About 500 successful young graduates who are now beneficiaries of the scheme, all gathered at the glass hall of the government house Lokoja for the official flag-off of the social investment program.
Also present were top government officials such as the Special Adviser to the governor on multilateral donor agencies and special projects, Adoga Ibrahim.
In his address of welcome, he said physical verification and deployment of beneficiaries to their various places of assignment would begin from next week at various local government areas, while he warned those with fake credentials to stay away.
Secretary to the state government Folashde Arike, equally charged participants to be honest and hard working.
In his key note address, the governor promised the beneficiaries that his administration would retain all those that are able to distinguish themselves on their given assignments after the set two year period.
He noted that he was working hard to ensure all industries and commercial opportunities available in the state are revived to provide jobs for youth.