By ISHOLA MICHAEL, Gombe

A total of 11,000 youths are to be engaged in Gombe State for The Federal Government powered Extended Special Public Works Programme which is aimed at reducing the rate of unemployment in the state.

The disclosure was made by the Programme Coordinator in Gombe State, Mrs Abigail Albashi, while inaugurating committee members for the implementation of the program in Gombe on Monday.

Ábigail Abarshi explained that the special works programme was designed to mitigate against the lack of job opportunities in rural and suburban areas through a short term engagement of 1,000 unemployed persons per Local Government Area for the period of three months pointing out that of the 1000 persons in each of the LGAs, 200 would be graduates in various fields of study.

She further said that the beneficiaries of the programme would be receiving the sum of N20,000 allowance monthly saying that the participants would be engaged in active community-related services that are peculiar to their respective LGAs such as Drainage digging and Clearance,

Irrigation canals clearing, Rural Feeder Road Maintenance and Traffic control among others.

Others public works to be done include; Street cleaning, Cleaning of public infrastructure like health centres, schools and the likes saying that each LGA needs to channel its programme to meet the needs and expectations of the area.

Ábigail Albashi further said that the programme will begin on 1st October, and ends in December 2020 adding that it be extended every year but it depends on how successful it was implemented and how buoyant the Federal Government purse is.

She then charged the committee members to ensure that the task is taken seriously with patriotism explaining that apart from the main implementation committee, five sub-committees were also inaugurated to ensure smooth and faster implementation of the programme.

In his remarks, Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, charged the committee members to exhibit a high level of transparency and integrity while carrying out the assignment.

The governor who was represented by the Commissioner of Youth and Sport, Julius Ishaya, said that the state government is aware of the level of unemployment in the state and the ravaging effect of covid-19 in the adding that the programme is timely.

He further expressed confidence In the committee members following the calibre of persons nominated as members.

The committees Inaugurated are; Government/Liaison, Traditional Institution, Information and Publicity, Women and Civil Society. (Nigerian Tribune)

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