President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the Federal Government’s introduced National Social Investment Programme has in three years, lifted no fewer than five million Nigerians out of extreme poverty.
Buhari stated this at the opening of the Global Youth Employment Forum of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, in Abuja on Thursday.
He said that the forum is an opportunity for young persons to address the challenges of national economic stability.
Represented by Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Buhari commended the ILO for committing itself to youth employment.
He said: “We note at this point that the issue of youth unemployment has assumed a global significance, and (is) on the front burner of development discourse.
“The government of Nigeria understands the need to focus attention on youth empowerment by creating the enabling environment for job opportunities and capacity building.
“The present administration from the onset, made the investment in our people, one of the key goals of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, which is the national development blueprint from the period of 2017 to 2020.
“The implementation of the plan also has the flagship programme such as the National Social Investment Programme, NSIP.
“It has yielded some measurable outcomes in the form of increased school enrolment and the creation of more jobs.
“One of the key components of the NSIP is the N-Power programme and its sub-components has led to the creation of job opportunities in different sectors of the economy for young persons.
“For example, in the past three years, the programme has yielded over 2 million direct and indirect employment opportunities and has lifted over 5 million Nigerians out of extreme poverty,
“In addition to this achievement, some sectors of the economy with high propensity for massive job creation and employment generation were specifically targeted by the government for various forms of support.’’
Buhari noted that these sectors included agriculture, solid minerals, power, works and housing, trade and investment, and also in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The ILO Director-General, Mr Guy Ryder, called on governments and the social partners to foster pro-employment growth and decent job creation through macroeconomic policies.
