We Have Kept Our Promise To Create Jobs…..Minister

                                                                                                                                                                        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.