Posted by By Wole Mosadomi, Minna on
HER mission as the wife of governor of Niger State was to empower the youths especially the jobless ones who were almost becoming nuisance in the society when her husband, Engr. Kure came to power in 1999.
HER mission as the wife of governor of Niger State was to empower the youths especially the jobless ones who were almost becoming nuisance in the society when her husband, Engr. Kure came to power in 1999. She immediately set up machineries for her dream to be fulfilled and the programme took off in the year 2000. Today, the permanent site of her scheme known as Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) put at over N140m will be launched. Not only that, about 6,000 young men and women have been trained in various skills, including tailoring, computer, photography, soap making, video coverage, catering among others. In this interview, Hajiya Zaynab Kure who is the initiator and motivator of the project says her mission has been accomplished and therefore feels fulfilled. We do know that some wealthy Nigerians made some pledges some years back when a fund raising was organized towards this project.
How far have you gone to get those pledges redeemed and what should Nigerians expect during the commissioning?
Most of them that made pledges have started redeeming them and we believe that those that have not redeemed theirs will do so even before they make another pledge. Infact, what we expect this time around will be cash and cheque. It is even on record that some of those who made pledges during the fund raising over two years ago gave fake addresses because most of them could not be traced after the occasion. There were some who even pledged N10m only to redeem only N1m and claimed that they only pledged such huge amounts to boost the launching. There is nothing we can do about all these and this is why we will only reckon with only cash and cheque this time around.
What is the target for the launching this time around and what do you intend to do with the money raised?
The target we have for the fund raising is, of course, the highest of all targets in this country. If we are able to get N10 billion, we will be happy. The target is quite much and we are praying to get it.
Since the site is completed, so to say, what do you intend to do with money realised from the fund raising? Do we intend to see more youth training or what?
What we intend to use the funds for actually is to be able to continue with this programme. When we launched the programme in 2002, we were able to raise funds and we promised that the money would be judiciously used. We used the fund to build our permanent site and the permanent site is ready for commissioning and it is not enough for the place as we have to continue with the programme and to be able to continue with the programme, we need funds moreso that there is much awareness about what the programme is and what the programme offers and because we want to continue to monitor our participants, that is the beneficiaries. So, if we have to continue with the Youth Empowerment Scheme with what is ahead of us, we have to raise funds because it is an NGO.
What is the cost of the edifice?
I will like to inform you that we have spent at least N140m so far on the structure. It would have been much more than that if we were to pay for the electrification of that site but News Engineering through Sir Cyprian Ojimadu Nwaeze donated all the electrical materials that we used there as part of his own contribution to the project. I don't know how much he purchased those materials but I think if we are to pay for the electrical fittings and labour, the amount would have been much more than that.
Again, we have another donor in the name of Alhaji Usman Bello who gave us pipes that we used for plumbing work at that site and I believe if we have to cost that too, the total would have been much more than what I am telling you. More importantly, the job was executed through direct labour. If we had contracted it out, I know we will not be talking of one hundred million but far more than that. 2007 is around the corner when the eight year term of this administration must have terminated.
What becomes of the project after you are out of office?
We are actually looking beyond 2007 and that is why we put up that place. Infact, we had looked beyond 2003 at the time we officially launched the programme and thought of having our own place because we were thinking that when my husband is no more the governor, where we are using now as our training and offices would have been difficult for me to use because no government will allow me to use it. And with the anxiety we have seen in the youth, it is a programme we cannot stop abruptly. We have to continue and if you look at the structure very well, you will see that they are all tailored towards youth activities. It is understood that some of the beneficiaries are still indebted to the scheme to the tune of millions of naira.
How do you hope to get back these loans?
Those that have been defaulting, as God would have it, we have started fishing some of them out because we have been using our beneficiaries that trained now to fish out those they know in their compounds, those they know in their villages and in their towns that trained here before and are yet to pay us back. We are using those ones to fish them out because we have made them to understand that if we are not paid by those who had trained with us previously, their own training will be truncated. So, they have been of good assistance to us and we have a loan recovery officer here who has been taking note of the problems. He has been following them from house to house even though it has been difficult. However, some of them have been responding especially the married women who do not want to be embarrassed in the presence of their husbands or people they live together with in the compounds. Some of them have been responding.
How much is then outstanding?
That is, how much are these debtors owing specifically? Out there, we have over N200m because we have trained about 6,000 persons. And as they graduated, they were given loans and brand new equipments to set them up for easy take-off. Looking at the project, would you say you are satisfied with what you have on the ground and have you actually met the aim of establishing the project? Honestly, if I have to be very frank with you, I am fulfilled and very happy. Happy in the sense that at least a lot of the youth have benefitted from the opportunity. Some by way of thinking that of course they have to do something, some of them by participating in it and more importantly, we have been able to motivate individuals and institutions into seeing it as an important issue. Infact, project Y.E.S is a successful story.
Finally, about two years ago, there was a fund raising for the project. Can you tell us how much is still outstanding and how much has been raked in so far? Like I said earlier, it will be so difficult for me to tell you because the addresses most of the donors gave us were fake. We have sent out our people to trace them but the addresses are not just correct and so far, we have struck them out and there is nothing we can do about them.