In Nigerian history of recent,and since independence,successive government’s both the Military and civilian administration had made futile efforts to create a robust outlets, that will keep unemployed youths and graduates out of the streets, either through gainful employment and or through other outlets in the form of empowerment, intermediate jobs and other outlets.
Narrowing down to the civilian administration stabilize in the last two decades,it had been one tale or the other, as programs introduced to cushion the effects of high unemployment rates had been a mirage,as sublmissions from the handlers and successive adminstrators proved otherwise.
Conversely,the recent submission by youth players, activists,stakeholders and naysayers had passed a vote of good perfomance on the part of the present administration in the last four years of APC led Federal government.
This is a result of putting in place a well thought out empowerment program,a departure from the previous ugly situation, where beneficiaries of the scheme are either shortchange or hijack by the top government officials,under the guise leadership gap.
Barely a year on assumption of duty,in 2016,the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal government introduced a youth friendly and unemployed youths, to bridge the gap of hopelessness and lack of confidence in governance.
It introduced four major programs to encourage social stratification among ordinary Nigerians, ranging from National- Social Investement Program (NSIP),segmented to N Power,Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT),Trader Moni and School feeding program to promote social equality and economic emancipation of individuals and various homes.
This was done with the good intentions of developing a permanent template and not politically motivated system, to gradually move the mass unemployed status, to gainfully employed base of all Nigerians.
Four years of gainful engagement with stipend of 30,000 to over half a million engaged youths,the need to re-acess,rejuvenate and re-shape the program to conform with the present realities became imperative,hence the government original intentions was to move Nigerians from unemployed status, to full employment on a well scripted arrangement devoid of any likely backlash.
It is already in the new policy of transition that beneficiaries of N Power in the last four years, will not be thrown to the labour markets or streets,but a transition bank that will attract both private and public entity to access the chunk of transited based on government initiatives.
As a government with good intentions and transparent management like the handlers in Humanitatian Affairs, Disaster Management Ministry,powered by Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouk,no doubt had ensured an uninterrupted replacement of the transited youths, with another set of beneficiaries, to avoid any unforeseen gap wihile negotiating for possible engagement of their predecessors.
This decision alone has relive confidence of many Nigerians to the continuous workability of the program,not only as a bridge of engagement of youths,but will also adress the exact figures of our youths desiring placement in all facets.
This is far from insinuations of some self appointed social crusaders,human rights activists, Civil Society Groups, that had only constituted themselves as seeing nothing good from the policies and programs of the government,both successive and current leadership.
It is on record that those parading themselves as pro- people either individually or collectively have no concerted efforts or programs, that will move the heads of unemployed cadre of certificated youths, into realising their potentials,rather than adopting the unlawful means of carrying out protests that will infringe on the lives of many other Nigerians.
It is high time the youths and such vulnerable group realise that these ideas is meant to guarantee more International sponsorships and well being of some of this group of individuals and instigators, as well as their collaborators.
Any crises or impending crises not ressolve on a round table or through amicable resolution of alternative disputes,will have its aims defeated and not realisable/counter productive.
What the Ministry had done is a collective bargaining, that will involve all Nigerians from all facets of life,through it’s transparency and due dilligence.
The pressure groups are only interested in throwing the out gone beneficiaries of N-Power to the labour market,so as to use them as readily available and willing tools to create uneasy calm among Nigerians,needless at this critical time of our National life.
The new Humanitatian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Developement Ministry should rather be applauded through it’s handlers rather than engaging in any affront, that will truncate the laudable program of the Federal government.
This developement will ensure more Nigerians benefit from the open policy of the present administration in the next four years, and sustained to the betterment of unemployable Nigerians hugely in the labour market.
Abubakar Yusuf Writes From Abuja.