The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Wednesday, said about 50 persons each from 25 states of the Federation as well as the FCT will be the beneficiaries of the Directorate’s second phase job creation driven agriculture entrepreneurship scheme.
The directorate said this was in line with federal government’s unrelenting efforts to make available job opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming unemployed persons, and diversification of the country’s economy.
According to a statement signed by the Directorate’s deputy director Information and Public Relations, Edmund Onwuliri, said; “Previously, 12 states had benefitted from a similar training exercise under the pilot phase of the programme.
“The training of 50 persons per state will involve the use of chemical sprayers, herbicides and preservatives in agricultural production.
“Trainees will equally be exposed to new knowledge in the deployment and use of improved varieties of seeds and seedlings as well as the knowledge of current government policies and initiatives aimed at incentivising agricultural production.
“Other objectives of the training programme include to generate employment for the extension workers, increase food production, stimulate the rural economy, remove drudgery associated with traditional agricultural practices, encourage food security as well as addressing the challenge of rural to urban migration among others.
“The programme is expected to produce One Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty qualified agricultural extension staff that will immediately impact the agricultural value chain in the benefitting states thereby supporting the policy thrust of the Federal Government which seeks to diversify the economy leveraging agriculture.
“Furthermore, the newly trained agricultural extension personnel will deepen the use of scientific and technology-driven services to farmers which will guarantee disease-free production, high quality yields and stress-free farm production processes.
“The benefitting states under the current phase of the training initiative are: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Borno, Bayelsa, Benue and Bauchi. Others are, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Ondo, Osun, Gombe Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano and Kebbi states. Also benefitting are, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Plateau, Rivers, Yobe, Zamfara and the FCT. “
