How Borno spent N300 million to empower 5,000 men, women

Nigerian Ruler, Muhammadu Buhari said that 100 million Nigerians would be lifted out of poverty in 10 years. In his efforts to fulfill his promises and ensure that unemployment and poverty has been reduced to the barest minimum, the President introduced an initiative Special Public Works (SPW) where 40, 000 transient jobs would be created in rural based areas across the country. The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) flagged off the initiative of creating 40, 000 and eight  states were selected to pilot the programme.

The states include; Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa and Katsina, where five local governments were selected with 1,000 young men and women drawn from each of the five selected local governments. The SPW programme had youths and women between the ages of 18 and 30.

The initiative which was piloted with Damboa Local Government, Borno State, as a beneficiary, had 1, 000 young men and women who were selected for transient off farm season jobs and they would, each, be paid a stipend of N20, 000 every month for a period of three months.

The beneficiaries were provided with working equipment such as wheel barrows, shovels, brooms, buckets, dustbins, cutlasses, and rakes. They will use these working tools in designated areas. Before they get paid, they are required to have a total attendance of 20 days at places of assignments. The workers are to get their monthly pay directly from the Regime’s account.