FG to create four million jobs through farming
Federal government is planning to create about four million jobs for graduates and rural dwellers through its agricultural development initiatives in the country, says the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe.
Okupe, at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, said the creation of jobs would ensure food security and diversify the economy in 2013.
He said the FG would create about 780,000 jobs for graduates and provide more than 10 million employments in the transport sector.
He said, “In realising the prime position that the agricultural sector occupies in the economic transformation of most advanced nations, the FG established a revolutionary agricultural programme to ensure food security, reduction of expenditure regarding foreign exchange in food import, diversification of the economy and creation of new jobs.
“In 2012, different initiatives of government resulted in the creation of about two million new jobs for rural dwellers. In 2013, the FG will implement a Young Graduate Commercial Farmers Scheme, which will absorb 780,000 graduates in its first phase and provide an estimated four million jobs in the agricultural sector in the first year.
“By 2014, Nigeria’s 167 million population will feed on rice grown and produced locally as we would have attained 100 per cent self sufficiency in rice production like that of cement.”
The presidential aide also said the transport sector had been boosted.
He said, “An unprecedented investment of $200bn will flow into the Nigerian economy through these concessions in 2013 and 2014 with other 10 million new jobs of skilled and unskilled labourers created in the next two years.
“This will undoubtedly revolutionise the transport industry, save roads from needless pressure, drastically reduce accidents and provide less expensive platform for movement of persons, goods and services.”
He condemned the criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Christmas message on the pace of the administration.
“What the President meant in his Christmas message was that in the estimation of the opposition, his administration was slow, but that the regime was taking its time not to make costly mistakes,” he said.
Okupe said the FG had succeeded in reducing the Boko Haram insurgency, both in terms of number of attacks and frequency.
He said, “From newspapers and security reportss, eight attacks were recorded in January, nine in February, seven in March, eight in April, five in May, seven in June, six in July, five in August, four in September, seven in October, four in November.
“The year 2013 will be Nigeria’s year of glory and positive changes in all facets of life. There will be a very significant forward progress in the economy of Nigeria through massive job creation in different sectors, which will lead to wealth creation and massive reduction in criminal activities.”
December 28, 2012 by Sodiq Oyeleke
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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