President
Muhammadu Buhari's 500,000 job intervention programme for unemployed
graduates has finally kicked off, with successful applicants to
commence work on December 1, 2016.
President Buhari
According to an official statement released from the Vice
President, Yemi Osinbajo’s office on Sunday, all is now set for the
deployment of 200,000 unemployed graduates selected in the first batch
of the Buhari administration’s plan to hire half a million Nigerians.
Unveiling details of the programme in the statement from the Vice
President’s office, the federal government stated that the names of the
selected 200,000 had been sent to state governments and the Federal
Capital Territory, FCT, who would deploy them to assignments in various
communities.
According to the statement, the names will also be published this
week on the N-Power internet portal, while participants will start
receiving SMS messages informing them of their selection from today,
even as the Federal Government congratulated the successful candidates.
The statement read in part: “State governments and the FCT are
also encouraged to post the names of the successful first batch
applicants in their local government areas, while there would be further
public announcements.
“Between now and the end of the month, the states and the FCT
would be engaged in deploying the graduates who would formally start
working and earning their stipends on December 1, 2016.
“Of the 200,000 first batch, 150,000 of them would teach,
30,000 would work in the agric sector and 20,000 in healthcare delivery,
covering the three specific programme assignments.
“The N-Power Volunteer Corps is an expression of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to invest in the human capital development
of Nigerian citizens, particularly our young people.
“The N-Power programmme is also an innovative means to enhance
ailing public services in the area of basic education and primary
healthcare.
“Also in the agric sector, it is aimed at achieving self-sufficiency by giving our farmers relevant advisory services.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria, hereby, congratulates all
200,000 successful applicants in the first batch, and they are
encouraged to take this opportunity seriously by learning the skills
that will brighten their future. They are also implored to serve their
communities with commitment and dedication.
“For those who have not been selected, there is a waiting list
based on the total number of applicants, and subsequent batches will
absorb more of the qualified applicants.
“All together, the N-Power will engage and train 500,000 young
unemployed graduates. It is a paid volunteering programme of a 2-year
duration that engages graduates in their immediate communities, where
they will assist in improving the inadequacies in the education, health,
and agriculture sectors.
“The 500,000 graduates under the N-Power Corps programme will
be trained in skills that will enable them exit after two years to
economically viable job and business opportunities.
“As part of the programme, the participants would own tablets
that will contain information necessary for their specific engagements,
as well as information for their continuous training and developments.
“Participants will be provided teaching, instructional, and
advisory solutions in four main focus areas, and will be paid a monthly
stipend of N30,000 during the programme.
“The four main focus areas are in basic education, agriculture
extension services, public health and community education (civic and
adult education).
“Besides the N-Power programme for undergraduates, there are
other schemes for non-graduates. These are: N-Power Knowledge, which
would select 25,000 young Nigerians and N-Power Build 75,000, all of
whom shall be trained and paid during the duration of the scheme."