Nasarawa SURE-P to recruit 2,000 youths, women

The Nasarawa State Subsidy and Reinvestment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) said it would recruit 2,000 youths and women in 2014 as part of its efforts to curb unemployment and other social vices.

The state Chairman of the Community Services Women and Youths Empowerment Projects of the SURE-P, Mr Joseph Ishekpa, said this on Wednesday when he addressed newsmen after the meeting in Lafia.

He said the importance of establishing SURE-P in the country could not be over-emphasised and called on the people to embrace the programme for the overall development of the country.

“President Good luck Jonathan established the SURE-P to fight unemployment and poverty among the youth and women, this programme has impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians. We have employed 3,000 unemployed youths, women in the state for the first phase of the project which started in June 2013.

“We are planning to recruit additional 2,000 unemployed youths and women in order to reduce their hardship.

“The aim of the additional recruitment is to fulfill President Jonathan’s commitment to fight poverty, unemployment and youths’ restiveness and other social vices in the state,” he said.

He said the meeting was aimed at assessing the progress made and to proffer solutions to some challenges facing the programme, if any, across the three senatorial district of the state.

Ishekpa said that the 3,000 beneficiaries were trained and engaged to control traffic, clean roads, hospitals, markets and be self-reliant, among others.

He called on the beneficiaries to reciprocate Federal Government’s gesture through dedication to their duties to justify government’s huge investment in the programme.

The chairman also called on other stakeholders to support the programme.

On security, Ishekpa further called on the people of the state to embrace peace irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliation.

In a remark, Mr Monday Dalyop, the state Coordinator, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), commended the president for establishing SURE-P, and called for its sustenance.

Dalyop said that the programme had impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians, and called on the youth to embrace skills acquisition to be self-reliant.