We have kept our promise of creating jobs for Nigerians – Lai Mohammed

The Federal Government has said that it has
kept its words by commencing job creation
across the country in fulfillment of its
campaign promises. The Minister of
Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, stated this in Uyo, Akwa Ibom
State, on Monday at the South-South Town
Hall Meeting organised by his ministry.
He said that construction and ancillary
workers have started returning to work in
droves as contractors are mobilized back to
the various road construction projects across
the country. Alhaji Mohammed listed some
of the road construction works that have
resumed as: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Bode
Sadu-Jebba road, Abuja-Lokoja road, Kano-
Maiduguri road and the Loko and Oweto
bridge linking Nasarawa to Benue.
He said work would soon start on the 2nd
Niger Bridge which, he said, is in this year’s
budget, adding: ”As more and more road
construction works resume in the days
ahead, thousands of Nigerians will also be
returning to work.”
The Minister also said the recruitment of
500,000 teachers had commenced through
the online portal ‘npower.gov.ng’, while
listing other direct job creation and training
schemes that are ongoing now as the N-
Power Knowledge, which is training 25,000
Nigerians in technology, and N-Power Build,
which is training another 75,000 Nigerians in
building services. According to him, the
Federal Government is exploring the
agricultural sector for massive job creation
through the repositioning of the River Basin
Development Authorities.
“Still talking about jobs, an agreement has
been signed to reposition the River Basin
Development Authorities within the next
18-24 months. The agreement between the
River Basin Development Authorities and the
Songhai Farms of Benin Republic includes
the training of unemployed youths in
integrated farm practice.
This programme is complimentary to the
upcoming Youth Agriculture Empowerment
Programme being planned by the Federal
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development,” Alhaji Mohammed said.