Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has lamented the mass unemployment challenge currently facing the country, describing it as a time bomb to which the government must pay an urgent attention to.
He made the remarks on Tuesday while hosting the 8,412 beneficiaries of the Federal Government N-Power scheme in the state and charged them to deliver great service to Nigeria and particularly Ekiti.
The governor also donated 300 laptop computers to them, and singling out an outstanding graduate of English from Obafemi Awolowo university, 25-year-old Fajana Olabisi Motinoluwa from Ekiti East Local Area of the state, who had also won gold medal for the state in Essay competitions, the governor promised her a scholarship for Masters degree programme and a government job after completion.
Fayose who also promised to foot the N4 million treatment bill of a kid with hole in the heart that he spotted at the meeting said he was using the gesture to encourage the beneficiaries in their task to develop the nation.
Urging them on the need to take advantage of the N-Power scheme to develop Ekiti and themselves, Fayose instructed the beneficiaries to make available copies of their Curriculum Vitae to government as soon as possible, and also promised them that they would constitute majority of those that would be absolved in a forthcoming employment exercise of about 2000 graduates into the state civil service.
“We have only Ekiti and we must guide everything about Ekiti jealously, those who want the peace of Ekiti will have peace, but those who do otherwise won’t know peace. We have no choice than to identity with you on learning about this development.
“Now that you have this chance to serve, I encourage you to know that there is a promising tomorrow for you. I will create an avenue where you can submit your Curriculum Vitae as I know there are many graduates among you. I will do some employment before I leave which would be on merit. I assure you on this, most of the people that would be employed would be among you as this temporary employment cannot do any miracle. We still have to do our best to improve on it. If we are taking 2000 people, we will have a reasonable stretch across board. We will consider gender and women there will be committee among you to coordinate the exercise and ensure that your interest is represented well, ” he said.
Commenting on the effect of hardship unemployment has brought on the citizenry, he said: “The massive unemployment rate in Nigeria is a time bomb and every government must be able to tackle this headlong. Though we are giant of Africa, we have the highest number of the unemployed; our young people have taken to idleness and excessive drinking to buy time and that affects their well being but the danger of that is kidney and liver infection among others which coming after some years and destroy them. This is why we are going to support you. I have 300 laptops but it won’t go round, it is to just support you.
The governor also announced a scholarship to study for a master’s degree to Miss Moyinoluwa Fajana.
Fajana was the best graduating student in 2009 at Christ’s Girls School, Ado-Ekiti and had a bachelor’s degree in English Language from the Obafemi Awolowo, Ile-Ife, Osun State and had represented the state in many competitions.
She would be given automatic employment after her programme.
Also, another beneficiary, Mrs Florence Akande, whose almost three-year-old daughter, Praise, suffers from a hole in the heart, smiled home as the governor said the state would finance the surgery of her daughter.
Akande said her daughter was diagnosed with the ailment over two years ago and the family could not raise the N4 million needed for the surgery.
While thanking the governor, both Fajana and Akande described Fayose as God sent to Ekiti State and her people.
“He has given my daughter a lifeline and even a new life if I may say. The family has lost hope of seeing a helping hand and I am not engaged in anything tangible to raise the money. We have tried our best. I can only pray that God would abundantly bless Governor Fayose and take him higher in life,” Akande said.
On her part, Fajana said,” This is a dream come true. The state will finance my studies and also give me employment after my studies. This is incredible and I thank God for the life of our amiable governor. I promise to also contribute my quota to the development and growth of our state and I won’t let our state down.”
Meanwhile, the focal person for the N-Power scheme in Ekiti and Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Gbenga Olajide expressed concern that the list of beneficiaries he already has would not be altered from Abuja when the final list arrives, he said: “My ministry has been coordinating the N-Power, and other social safety net programmes, such as Home Grown School Feeding, and Cash Transfer among others.
The N-Power candidates for 2017/2018 are in total of 8, 412, while 7, 565 have been successfully verified, the beneficiaries will be serving in teaching, agriculture, and health sector in the state”, he said.
Packaged by Omotoyosi Jesuleye
