Date: 2017-02-27

The Federal Government has revealed its plan to hire 350,000 more unemployed graduates under the N-Power volunteer corps.

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice-President, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday. Akande said President Muhammadu Buhari has requested the appropriation of N157.75bn in the 2017 budget estimates for the N-Power scheme.

He said the scheme is just one of the many Social Investment Programmes (SIP) of the Buhari presidency. Akande added that the SIP budget proposals for 2017 are currently being discussed this week at the National Assembly.

"Out of the N-Power 2017, N157 billion budget, 350,000 unemployed graduates more would be hired and trained, alongside 50,000 non-graduate youths to be engaged as artisans and in other creative ventures," Akande said.

"Under the N157.75bn also, a sum of N4.5bn has been earmarked for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, STEM programme to support young Nigerians in building skills in those disciplines.

"While we were able to engage 200,000 unemployed graduates last year, we will do 350,000 more this year. Some of the teething problems are giving way to lessons that would ease implementation under the 2017 budget."

He urged Nigerians to expect more this year, especially in the area of implementation as virtually all of the SIPs are now undergoing different stages of implementation.

Akande said N100bn out of N500bn which Buhari approved for all social intervention programmes, has been allocated for the Family Homes Fund (FHF).

"This year's implementation of the SIP is going to be far more impactful than what we were able to do under the 2016 budget, so Nigerians should expect more this year, the resolve of the Buhari presidency is firm that more lives must be touched positively under this programmes which Nigerians have come to appreciate," he said.

He added that the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), which has kicked off in nine states, would reach more states and much more Nigerians.