Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi, has urged 62 beneficiaries of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) resettlement loan in Sokoto State not to spend the funds on marriage or other unproductive activities, but to invest them in businesses that will improve their livelihoods.
Dingyadi gave the advice during the resettlement ceremony for 62 Pilot Skills Training beneficiaries held at the Sultan Maccido Institute of Quranic and General Studies in Sokoto. He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is creating opportunities that are positively impacting the lives of Nigerians.
Represented by Alhaji Harande Mahe, the minister encouraged the beneficiaries to use the financial support wisely and become role models in their communities.
He urged them to be good ambassadors of their families, communities and Sokoto State by putting the loans to productive use and creating opportunities for others.
The Director-General of the NDE, Mr. Silas Ali Agara, described the resettlement programme as another important step towards promoting self-reliance, entrepreneurship and job creation across the country.
Represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Mrs. Olutoyin Olayinka, Agara said the 62 beneficiaries had successfully completed training under the Vocational Skills Development (VSD), Special Public Works (SPW) and Basic Business Training (BBT) programmes.
He said: “Today is a significant milestone in our collective effort to transform skills acquisition into sustainable livelihoods, productive enterprises and employment opportunities.”
Agara explained that the agency understands that skills training alone is not enough without financial support to help beneficiaries establish businesses.
He added: “The National Directorate of Employment recognises that training, though essential, must be complemented with the necessary support to enable beneficiaries to put their skills into practice.
“The resettlement soft loans (N300,000.00) for VSD, (N200,000.00) for SPW trained beneficiaries) being provided today are therefore intended to bridge the gap between training and enterprise development.”
The NDE boss also disclosed that under the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative Phase III, the agency is currently training more than 26,000 unemployed Nigerians in various vocational and business skills across the country.
In his vote of thanks, the Sokoto State Coordinator of the NDE, Malam Ibrahim Bello Magaji, appreciated everyone who contributed to the success of the programme.
He said: “As we depart, may we carry with us the conviction that today’s intervention represents not merely the conclusion of a training programme, but the beginning of new opportunities for enterprise development, self-reliance, employment creation and improved livelihoods.”
Also speaking, the Director of the NDE Small Scale Development Department, Hajiya Amina Shetima, said the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative in Sokoto marks the transition from skills acquisition to practical economic empowerment.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Shafiu Umar and Sharatu Yusuf thanked the NDE for the opportunity and pledged to make good use of the loans while serving as worthy ambassadors of their families and Sokoto State.
