NDE to be repositioned for new challenges - Director

Segun Olaniyan, Katsina - 25.03.2008

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is to be repositioned to take up the challenges of the present day Nigeria .

The Director General of the Agency, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, said this while speaking with journalists in Katsina on Monday.

Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, who noted that the present administration had a 7-point agenda, added that the NDE has come up with a 5-point agenda that were relevant to the emerging Nigerian economy.

To this end, he said the agency had decided to re-assess its programme and schemes to come up with skills that were relevant to the needs of the present day economy of the country.

The Director General was said to ensure the success of the agency, staff of the directorate would be trained and retrained, motivated and mobilised for the task ahead.

He however urged Nigerian youths to avail themselves with the opportunities created by the directorate, saying that the agency was determined to change their mind-set and re-orient them to accept the challenges of this time.

According to him, life without challenges is nothing, every generation must have challenges and therefore they must be “ready to channel their energy toward productive activities. The jobs they are looking for are not there, but in this country the informal sector of our economy is a virgin, it is there waiting to be tapped.

“Youths should be accept the challenges of this times. You cant wish away problems and anybody who thinks he/she must be born into a rich family before making it is already failure’’, he remarked, adding that, this is their generation, every generation has its challenges, but every generation also has its corresponding opportunities.”

The Director General who said the directorate was presently running a pilot scheme for disabled persons tagged ‘’Dabarun barin bara’’ in Kaduna, added that such schemes would soon be extended to other states of the federation to enable them benefit.

At the Emirs palace, the NDE Director General who let other members of the directorate to congratulate the new Emir for ascending the throne prayed for Allah’s Guidance and protection to enable him succeed, pledging that the directorate would do its best in the state to ensure that youths are guided toward being productive and self employed.