Economy

FG Empowers PWDs in South-West

By Web News 500

In a bid to address economic challenges among persons with disabilities, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development has organized a 3-day capacity building and empowerment workshop on income-generating activities.

The workshop, held in Ibadan for the Southwest zone, was designed to train persons with disabilities on various vocational skills.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar-Farouq said the workshop was part of the ministry’s efforts at combating the challenges confronting the advancement of persons with disabilities for sustainable national development.

Represented by Director, Special Needs Department of the ministry, Mrs Nkechi Onwukwe, the Minister noted that elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against persons with disabilities, as well as, empowering them economically would go a long way in unbundling their full potential.

“I want to assure you that the federal government remains committed to doing her bit in shaping the country to become more inclusive through disability sensitive policies and programming. I, therefore, call on all and sundry to support the efforts of governments at all levels in achieving the desired goal of a country devoid of all forms of discrimination against PWDs”

“I also want to assure you that the federal government will continue to be sensitive to the needs of PWDs and support the realization of their potentials to enable them to live a fulfilled life”

The facilitator of the workshop, Mr Kolawole Taiwo said the participants would be trained on vocational skills including fish farming, mobile phone repairs and soap making.

Mr Taiwo added that after the workshop, the participants would be given 100,000 naira each as a start-up grant.

Two of the participants, Funsho Olajide and Olayinka Ileyemi commended the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development for the workshop, expressing optimism that the training would give them the opportunity of having a solid means of livelihood.

Radio Nigeria gathered that 30 participants, drawn from states in the southwest attended the workshop.

Oluwakayode Banjo

Economy

3,000 Benefit From FG’s N-Knowledge, N-Tech Schemes

By Web News 658

Over three thousand beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N-Knowledge, N-Tech scheme from the South-West have received their tools of trade.

The tools, which included laptop computers and workstations, were handed over to them after the closing of the three-month intensive coaching at the Osun State College of Education, Ila Orangun.

Presenting the tools to the beneficiaries, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouk explained that the N-Knowledge, N-Tech were components of the N-Power programme focused on equipping young Nigerians with relevant skills and certification to become competent workers, innovators and entrepreneurs prepared for both the domestic and global digital job market. 

Represented by an Assistant Director in the Ministry, Mr Olufemi Popoola, the minister stated that the N-Knowledge programme would up-skill twenty thousand young Nigerians on the global radar as exporters of world-class services and content in the creative and information technology sectors.

She said the training component was targeted at developing competencies of the youth in software development and hardware training which would be catalyzed as well as the groundwork to make Nigeria compete in the outsourcing market for software development. 

Hajia Farouk added that the programme would develop the skills and capacities along the skills set in the value chain of mobile apps and website development and start the talent development effort for the growth of the information technology industry in Nigeria.

The minister stressed that the participants who had been in centralized in-camp training for 3 months would also undergo a 6-month apprenticeship during which they would be exposed to more practical details.

Also speaking, one of the facilitators of the programme, Mr Bolarin Oyetunji explained that during the three-month intensive training, the participants were exposed to software development, animation and scriptwriting.

Mr Oyetunji said the six month period of apprenticeship would enable them to have more fieldwork exposure and mentorship, while he added that they would be connected to film production organizations that may require their new skills.

Persons with Disabilities were not left out of the programme, one of them, Mr Adewuyi Omotoso who was full of appreciation to the Federal Government, affirmed that such programme had rekindled the hope of a better tomorrow for people in his category.

Similarly, Miss Ayinde Temitope also received appealed to the government not to rest on its oars in ensuring that Nigerian youths were skillfully empowered.

Participants in the programme who were majorly graduates of intermediary education programmes were drawn from all states in the South-West.

Adenitan Akinola

Economy

56 Independent Monitors Engaged For FG’s Social Intervention Programmes in Ogun

By Web News 719

A total of 56 trained independent monitors have received letters of engagement and tablets to monitor the Federal Government Social Investment Programme in Ogun State for the next one year.

Presenting the items in Abeokuta, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq explained that the Independent Monitors were selected to ensure that the objectives of the various intervention programmes of the Federal government were achieved.

Hajiya Farouq who was represented by the Assistant Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Hajiya Jumai Abdu Ali, urged the independent monitors to discharge their responsibilities with utmost sense of patriotism, diligence and sincerity.

In a message to the occasion, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State said the social welfare programmes had impacted positively on the lives of the vulnerable in the state and urged the independent monitors to remain committed and ensure accurate data collation.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, had reaffirmed the commitment of the present administration to continue to partner the Federal Government in the Social Intervention Programmes towards the successful implementation of the “Building our Future Together” agenda.

Olusegun Folarin

Economy

Poverty Alleviation: FG Kicks-Off Distribution Of 20K Grant In Ogun

By Web News 701

Three thousand five hundred rural women in Ogun State have received the twenty thousand naira Federal Government grant.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, while flagging off the programme in Abeokuta explained that the women were carefully selected from different rural parts of the state to improve their wellbeing. 

Correspondent Wale Oluokun has the details.

Wale Oluokun

News Analysis

On The Proposed National Senior Citizens Centre

By Web News 1162

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq said the federal government was trying to set up a special centre to monitor the situation of elderly men and women in the country.

The centre is called the National Senior Citizens Centre.

Essentially, the National Senior Citizens Centre when it becomes operational is to facilitate section 16 of the 1999 Constitution, which provides that the state shall direct its policy towards ensuring that old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens.

Hajia Farouq made the announcement during a meeting with the Coalition of Societies for the Rights of Older Persons in Nigeria, COSROPIN in Abuja.

According to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian which announced this on its twitter handle, the take-off of the National Senior Citizens Centre is on the way.

The minister assured the members that her ministry was working to ensure that the Centre was set up and operational, assuring the group of her full support.

She added that many of them had served the country during their active ages and still have a lot to contribute because of their experience.

Hajia Farouq noted that the ministry would not relent on its oars to give due importance to the issues involved while ensuring that they were consulted during the establishment of the National Senior Citizens Centre.

The minister maintained that there is a law which allowed the establishment of the Centre and when it comes into operation, its activities would include identifying the needs of these seniors, developing programmes to engage them, provision of amenities in sports, education, health and leisure facilities for the full enjoyment of life for the elderly.

At the Centre, development and implementation of schemes to provide income or supplementary earnings for the aged citizens, record keeping and statistics concerning the senior citizens would be a priority while the Centre will partner sub-national, national and international bodies in achieving its objectives.

Hajia Farouq assured the group of her support, adding that the elders were among the category of people whom the ministry was concerned about.

In the coming years, the ageing population in Nigeria is expected to increase in numbers and life expectancy rates will gradually increase with significant social and economic implications to the individuals and the government.

At present, the old-age dependency ratio is not high compared with the developed nations and this serves as pointer to problems to come.

At this juncture, it is pertinent that a national policy on the care and welfare of older persons enacted since March 2003 which had remained in the draft form be enacted for proper care of these category of people.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Senior Citizens Centre Bill, into law on the twenty-six of January 2018, two years after it was first introduced into the House of Representatives.

It came with the promise of a new dawn for Nigeria’s nine point six million elderly citizens, who are aged sixty and above. 

It is therefore of utmost importance that government match their words with action by putting all necessary machinery in motion for the operation of the National Senior Citizens Centre as this would make life more comfortable for elderly.

Titilayo Kupoliyi