Buhari checks some of the tools to be used by P-YES recruits

President Muhammadu Buhari has launched the Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme (P-YES), aimed at creating 774,000 jobs across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country

The launch on Monday was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and Engineer Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State.

Buhari restated his administration’s commitment to youth development and poverty alleviation.

He pledged that the Federal Government policies of social protection and people empowerment would continue on track, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.

Buhari, middle, with VP Osinbajo and others, checks some of the tools to be used by P-YES recruits

Buhari, VP Osinbajo and other guest at the P-YES programme

The President, who described P-YES as a cornerstone of his administration’s social and economic development strategies, said it was part of the overall policy of ensuring that 100 million Nigerians were lifted out of poverty in ten years.

”The P-YES is also part of the plan that we adopted in 2016 in which we empowered One hundred youths from each of the 774 Local Government Areas with the necessary tools to acquire skills and establish small businesses.

”Given the success of that initiative, we are now committed to creating 774,000 jobs across all the LGAs, through the P-YES programme,” he said.

President Buhari, who took a tour of P-YES tools and equipment displayed at the forecourt of Presidential Villa, expressed delight that the materials showcased represent the fruits of the initiatives embarked upon by his administration in 2016.

”All the tools, machines and equipment that are exhibited here, are products of the efforts of these empowered youth entrepreneurs.

”I note with particular pleasure that they were all fabricated in Nigeria by Nigerian youths using locally sourced materials. This is a wonderful and uplifting achievement.

”As an entrepreneurship empowerment project, the P-YES programme aims to address the needs of unskilled and less educated youth.

”It targets key areas of activities that are of practical importance and are essential to every aspect of our economy.

”These include areas such as agriculture and food processing, restaurant and catering, tailoring and fashion design, technical skills such as in the Information and Communications Technology sector, artisanship, welding, carpentry and joinery, other small businesses and activities associated with the micro-economic sector of this economy,” he said.

The President used the occasion to call on State Governments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to factor the P-YES into their programmes to assist the youth realise their potentials in their chosen fields.

He urged local and foreign private sector operators in Nigeria to also contribute their share to the expansion of this programme through channelling their corporate social responsibility efforts towards skills acquisition, creation of start-ups, and other intervention measures.

President Buhari declared that the expansion of the P-YES would now be vigorously pursued, adding that more resources will be committed to the achievement of its goals and objectives towards youth empowerment and entrepreneurship development.

The President commended the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on Youth and Students Affairs, under Hon. Nasiru Saidu Adhama, for driving the P-YES programme in accordance with the mandates prescribed for the office and the programme.

He expressed confidence that the programme being supervised by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation would make significant difference.

Adhama assured the President that as achieved in the pilot phase of the programme the selection of beneficiaries in the full-scale P-YES scheme would be done with the utmost transparency and credibility, adding that equal opportunities will be observed in the delivery of equipment, tools and machines to all States and LGAs.

NYC condemns looting of P-YES equipment – The President of Nigerian Youth Congress, Blessing Akinlosotu, has condemned the looting of the Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme Programme (P- YES’) equipment at Trademore estate area, Lugbe-Airport road, Abuja.

Akinlosotu in a statement he issued in Abuja, Thursday, expressed disappointment with the development, and described it as a wicked and disgraceful act.

He said the development was capable of breaching the trust between the Nigerian leaders and the youth.

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Akinlosotu said suspected hoodlums on October 27, 2020 ransacked the warehouse where the equipment meant for the youth empowerment across the 36 states and the FCT were kept, carted them away and later set the building ablaze.

The NYC president, however, urged all Nigerians to stand against destructive acts, charging them to fight the hoodlums and looters when seen executing illegal acts that might be disastrous to the well-being of the nation and its citizens.

He said: “It is worthy to note that the #EndSARS protest has come and gone. A protest is a peaceful demonstration within the circumference of the streets with placards and sundry inscriptions on them, outside this, any other thing or act is illegal and when caught, you have to face the law squarely.”