BY FOLASHADE KEHINDE
GOVERNOR Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has appealed to the Federal Government to increase the state’s allocation in the 774,000 Extended Special Public Works programme, aimed at providing employment opportunities for unemployed Nigerians.
The Governor hinged his position on the increasing population in the state, which he said must be catered for.
He made the appeal at the official flag-off of the ESPW programme, held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.
Represented at the event by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, the Governor said the programme was being implemented through the National Directorate of Employment, in collaboration with state governments and other relevant stakeholders.
According to him, it targets creating 774,000 jobs for Nigerians across all the Local Government Areas, out of which 20,000 has been allocated to Lagos.
“While we appreciate the efforts of the Federal Government through this initiative, we would like to appeal for an increase in the allocation for Lagos State in consideration of the increasing population that must be catered for,” the Governor said.
He, however, noted that the initiative was taking off at the right time when governments at all levels needed to do everything possible to stem the tide of rising unemployment and also cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Nigerians.
The project, according to the Governor, will also complement the state government’s efforts towards providing support and creating opportunities for young people to be productively engaged.
“Our administration and indeed the Lagos State Government has always been a stakeholder and partner of the Federal Government in the quest to achieve the growth and development of our economy for the benefit of our people,” Sanwo-Olu said.
“The ESPW Jobs programme being flagged off today, is the brainchild of the Federal Government and one of the strategies to address the issue of unemployment,” he added.
He congratulated the 20,000 residents who had been selected for the programme, noting that the Lagos State Government had also flagged off its Graduate Internship Placement Programme a few weeks ago.
The initiative, he said, was being implemented in collaboration with private sector organisations.
He urged participants of the ESPW to be good ambassadors of the state, saying that their attitude and commitment to the assignment would open up more opportunities for the teeming unemployed in the state.
The Governor commended President Muhammadu Buhari for providing the leadership that had enabled the successful take-off of the programme and appreciated the efforts and enterprise put in by the team that had worked so hard to make the event a reality, in spite of the challenges posed by COVID-19 Pandemic.
