The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) says, it has concluded plans to grant the sum of N4.2m loan to 168 small scale business owners in Bauchi State.
The State Coordinator of NDE, Mr. Lawan Yaya, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Bauchi on Thursday.
Yaya said that the Director-General (D-G), of NDE, Alhaji Nasir Argungu, had ordered the state directorate to embark on the programme to assist beneficiaries maintain and manage their small scale businesses.
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He noted that each of the selected individuals would be given the sum of N25,000.00.
“We were directed by the Director-General, Dr Nasir Argungu, to run a programme where we will be recruiting 168 people.
“Basically, we want to assist them with a soft loan of N25,000 each for small businesses, our intention is to assist them manage and maintain their own small businesses,” he said.
The state coordinator commended the D-G for his foresight in alleviating the suffering of the people, while praying God to continue to grant him more ideas that would help youths and women in the country.
Yaya further stressed that the directorate had also concluded plans to recruit 50 graduates to sensitise them on entrepreneurship.
“This is because most of the graduates do not have business expertise, and some of them who have the money will focus on a particular business.
“We just want to sensitise them on how to run and mitigate some risks in their businesses.
“We want to also recruit 100 people, including both graduates and non graduates, for yet another sensitisation programme.
“This is an NDE programme, in collaboration with Nasir Saj Nigeria Limited, and we will sensitise them on business enterprises, which is how to manage their businesses.
“This programme will help them obtain loans from financial agencies like CBN and the Nirsal initiative, currently running a loan package where people without business ideas are not considered for the loan,’’ he added.
Yaya stated that NDE was acting as a gateway for the beneficiaries of the programme to obtain the loan.
(NAN)
