A youth group, the Intellectual Young Leaders Network-The Restoration Freedom Movement (IYLN-RFM) of Nigeria, has appealed for the decentralisation of the registration centers of the 774,000 jobs recruitment exercise being executed by the Ministry of Labour and Employment in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).

It made the appeal via a letter dated July 18, 2020, addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari through the Minister of Labour and Employment and the Director General of NDE.

Signed by Comrade Prince Akinola Adams, IYLN-RFM Nigeria North-East Zonal Coordinator, Amb. Kassim Abubakar Gamawa, the group also appealed to President Buhari “to consider online recruitment for the benefit and easier accessibility to our local people.”

The letter drew attention to the precarious security situation in the country and the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that these make it risky for people to be made to go to long distances in search of recruitment. The letter reads in part:

“May I wish to extend regards to your esteemed personality and office, the above subject matter refers;

“It has been brought to our attention your directives to the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo SAN, to collaborate with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to go ahead with the recruitment of fresh 774,000 Nigerian youth who will serve in various community development projects.

“Such a good initiative is indeed highly commendable and a worthy of emulation. IYLN-RFM salutes you.

“However, based on the purported messages going round on social media platforms, we notice that the recruitment exercise has been kicked off nationwide and the registration centers are said to be located at the NDE offices in the main states’ headquarters across the country.

“Our observation here is, considering the current challenging situation of the country which ranges from proliferation of COVID-19 pandemic, insurgency of bandits and Boko Haram groups and the sadistic activity of kidnappers, it is highly perilous and risky to invite millions of unemployed people especially those from rural areas to go to the physical job application.

“Therefore, it is clearly obvious, that some had to travel to hundreds or thousands of kilometers to get to the registration points.

“If truly this empowerment program is meant for the local people and equally you wanted to balance the equation of 1,000 people per LGA then you shouldn’t locate the centre of the program at the states main headquarters only.

“Conclusively, we hereby call on your Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Director General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to reconsider your stand and decentralize the registration center of the program to each of the 774 Local Government Areas of the country. And or if possible consider online recruitment for the benefit and easier accessibility to our local people.”