The National Directorate of Employment, NDE Abia State office, has carried out an orientation ceremony for twenty two (22) graduates selected for the Special Graduate Attachment Programme (GAP) in the state.
In a keynote address during the event, the Director-General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo Nuhu, encouraged the participants to be committed and make good use of the opportunity given to them.
The NDE boss who was represented by the State Coordinator NDE Abia, Mrs Tessy Wachuku congratulated them for being part of the few selected among hundreds of unemployed graduates in the state.
In his speech also, a representative from the Director, Special public works department, at the headquarter, Mr. Idris Mahmood, described GAP as a transient job and a second chance opportunity to be employed after the NYSC scheme.
He encouraged the participants to put in their best as this exposure to the work environment is getting them closer to permanent employment.
In a related development, also, the NDE Abia State office has carried out the Disbursement of Starter Packs to twenty – six (26) beneficiaries of the Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS).
The beneficiaries who were trained in horticulture, POP making, and landscaping skills were given some equipment like water pumping machines, hoses of different sizes, rakes, molds for interlocking tiles, and POP materials.
Advising, the beneficiaries, during the event at Umuahia, the Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo reminded the beneficiaries that the equipment is not a grant but a soft loan with minimal interest of 9 percent.
The NDE DG, represented by the State Coordinator NDE Abia, Mrs Tessy Wachuku while congratulating the 26 participants who were resettled, pointed out that it was their hard work and dedication to duty that earned them the selection.
Also speaking, the Director of Special Public Works, Mr. Idris Mahommod, represented by, Mrs. Roseline Olaomi challenged the beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment received to better their lives and be employers of labor, thereby contributing their quota to curbing unemployment in the society.
In a goodwill message, Mr. Loveday Ogbonna, Abia State Coordinator, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) appreciated the Directorate and Federal Government for creating opportunities for the youth to be self-employed and be employers of labour.
The ceremony, graced by dignitaries from state and federal establishments within the State, also saw the Area commander, Umuahia Area Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Zach Nwaogbe creating awareness of the consequences of drug abuse.
