By Awwal Umar Kontagora The National Assembly has expressed its commitment to supporting an increase in the monthly stipends for trainees un...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
The National Assembly has expressed its commitment to supporting an increase in the monthly stipends for trainees under the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) from ₦5,000 to ₦50,000.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Labour, Honourable Adebayo Adefarati, made this statement during the NDE budget defense session at the National Assembly Complex on Tuesday.
“The House of Representatives fully supports empowering our youth through the Renewed Hope Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Ministry of Labour, and relevant stakeholders under the supervision of the NDE,” Honourable Adefarati said.
He emphasized the importance of equipping young people with education and skills to ensure they become self-reliant and avoid falling into youth restiveness.
“Our youth should be encouraged and supported. If trainees receive a stipend of only ₦5,000 during their first month, many will abandon programs like tailoring, culinary arts, and solar installation. I strongly support increasing the stipend to ₦50,000,” he added.
Honourable Adefarati also commended the NDE, led by Honourable Silas Ali Agara, for its dedication to equipping youths with skills for self-reliance.
In response, the NDE Director-General, Honourable Silas Ali Agara, acknowledged the committee’s observations and revealed that the agency had taken steps to secure the stipend increment.
“I share the same vision as the committee. We have written to the Salaries and Wages Commission and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, both of which have approved the increment. We are now awaiting final approval from the Minister of Finance for implementation,” Agara said.
He called on stakeholders to fully support youth training programs, emphasizing their importance in fostering good citizenship and driving national growth and development.
The Director-General also highlighted reforms undertaken during his tenure, including the adoption of international best practices, boosting staff morale, and introducing ICT-based Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for staff promotions, achieving a 76% success rate nationwide.
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