Employment to 2,000 youth  - As part of activities to mark one hundred -days in office, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State at the weekend presented employment letters to 2,000 youths pledging to combat the menace of youth unemployment. Ahmed made this pledge at the official launching the Kwara Bridge Empowerment Scheme (KWABES) at the Ilorin Metropolitian Square.

The governor noted that the 2, 000 youths employed were selected from the 28, 000 unemployed youth captured during the registration of unemployed youths across the state, which is still on-going.

According to him, the scheme was introduced to capture data of unemployed youths with a view to absorb 80 percent of the 10 percent corps members into permanent employment of the government within 365 days.

He explained that others that could not be absorbed will be trained in essential skill acquisition and entrepreneurship and supported with soft loan to establish small and medium scale enterprises.

The governor disclosed that the state is ready to partner with the federal government to support and encourage youth involvement in small scale enterprise towards self - employment.

According to him, part of the partnership will cover areas of human capacity building and development and establishment of acquisition centres to train and impact skill on the youths.

Ahmed added that some of the youth employed through the scheme would be posted to both public and private organisations while government will be responsible for their salary.

He called on the federal government to provide additional assistance to state to generate more employment opportunities in order to arrest youth restiveness.

Earlier the commissioner for Youths and Sports, Dr Amuda Kannike disclosed that the scheme commenced on June 27, with the registration of unemployed youth and had captured 28,000 youth throughout the 16 local government areas.

Kannike explained that the scheme was one of the diverse measures devised through concerted efforts by government in a bid to seek ways of enhancing the well -being of the youths in the state.

The commissioner stressed the need for youths themselves to examine further options that would help them to achieve total poverty eradication, full employment, social security and integration.

Daily Champion/20/09/2011