NDE trains 540 Gombe beneficiaries on Advance business
Chima Azubuike
National Directorate of Employment (NDE), on Saturday organised advanced basic business training for 540 beneficiaries in Gombe under the Extended Special Works Programme (ESWP).
According to Director General of NDE, Abubakar Fikpo, no fewer than 180 participants were drawn from the three senatorial districts from the 1,000 per local government Special Public Works amounting to 540.
Fikpo said the directorate chose to organise this to enable participants fall back to a consistent livelihood especially as the three-month opportunity is temporary.
Represented by the state coordinator NDE Gombe, Mustapha Hassan, the Director General revealed that the initiative is geared towards ensuring that poverty is reduced in the affected families.
Fikpo said this is a follow-up to basic business training for Extended Special Works Programme, adding that it supposed to be an exit strategy after completing the three-month ESWP which is mostly infrastructural development, sanitation work.
He said, “It is assumed that the payment they received the 20,000 per month which was received for three months amounting to 60,000 will be enough to start something no matter how small it is. We are trying to train them on how to actually go into petty business with the little we think they saved from the 20,000 per month.
“Advanced basic business training is to sharpen their knowledge on how to run petty business. The main essence is to actually engage in something rather than just saying immediately after the ESWP nothing more. So the need to give them an idea of business to make them self reliant.
“In each of the three senatorial districts, 180 persons were selected among the 1,000 per local government. In the whole of Gombe we have 540 that actually benefitted from the Advance Basic Business Training.”
While urging the beneficiaries to justify the effort of the Federal Government, Fikpo explained that NDE expects that the actual sum of 60,000 allotted to participants would uplift the living condition of the entire family,
“Pulling 1,000 persons out of poverty by paying them 60,000. it is believed that if they utilize amount given to them, even if the money is spent within the household.
It will improve their standard of living even if it is food they buy for the house or clothing they changed for the children I think it has improved the standard of living. It will show that government is actually ready to assist the poor and pull them out of poverty.
“To whom much is given much is desired not every time that they should be dependent on government to do almost everything. So, they must know that whatever they get is not for a continuous process. The beneficiaries must think outside of government assistance, and work towards being self reliant,” Fikpo added.
