By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Nigerian youths still shocked by the bloodbath of #EndSARS protest are pretty cross with President Muhammadu Buhari but he reminded them on Wednesday of how he has catered to their interests since he laid his hands on the reins of Aso Rock.
He has frozen the bank accounts of some of the protesters who railed against police brutality and simply demanded good governance. Buhari has lied that the soldiers he deployed against the youths at Lekki toll gate on October 20 did not kill them.
World powers watching Buhari
British lawmakers debated the Lekki massacre on Monday and many canvassed the imposition of sanctions against Nigeria and Buhari and his henchmen in particular.
Joe Biden, the incoming United States president, has told Abuja to stop killing peaceful protesters, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Geneva is on the case – and may try Buhari when his Aso Rock tenure ends.
From his own backyard, the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) has blamed him for the growing insecurity in region.
NEF Publicity and Advocacy Director, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, made the point in a statement on Monday and decried the slow pace of work on the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Highway.
Baba-Ahmed said the dilapidation of the highway makes it attractive to kidnappers and bandits who kill and maim and steal property worth billions of naira.
Buhari on youths
Buhari sidestepped all of that on Wednesday and instead zeroed in on his succour for youths, stressing that he has always had them as centerpiece of his policies.
Speaking through Femi Adesina, his media and publicity adviser, Buhari listed 16 initiatives he has put in place to reposition and empower Nigerian youths:
1. N-Power. 500,000 youths enrolled in two batches between 2016 and 2020 receiving 30,000 monthly, with enrolment of a third batch of 400,000 in progress.
2. NYSC monthly allowance increased from N19,600 to N33,000. More than 300,000 beneficiaries monthly.
3. N75 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) for businesses owned by young Nigerians aged between 18 and 35 – https://www.cbn.gov.ng
4. Special Public Works Programme to provide three-month employment to 774,000 youths (1,000 beneficiaries per council) – https://specialpublicworks.gov.ng/site
5. $20 million Fund for Nigerian Tech Innovators and Entrepreneurs, managed by the Bank of Industry (BOI) – https://www.boi.ng
6. National Young Farmers Scheme. An initiative of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) to engage 1,000 youths in each of the 774 councils in mechanised agriculture – https://www.nalda.ng/#FAQ
7. Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme (AADS) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to engage at least 370,000 youths in agricultural production over the next three years, in collaboration with state governments – www.cbn.gov.ng
8. Creative Industries Financing Initiative (CIFI). An initiative of the CBN in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee to provide single-digit financing for the creative sector, as part of efforts to boost job creation – www.cbn.gov.ng
9. DEEL – D – Digital Skills E – Entrepreneurship E – Employability L – Leadership. Targets more than 500,000 for training and entrepreneurship and leadership – https://noya.ng/initiatives/new-deel.aspx
10. NESP-Homes. The Mass Housing Strategy of the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP) envisages the creation of 1.8 million jobs starting with the construction of 300,000 homes in the next 12 months, using 100 per cent locally sourced materials for construction – https://nesp.ng/document/Jobs.pdf
11. The 5M Solar Connections Programme to expand access to 25 million Nigerians by providing five million new connections through Solar Home Systems or construction and operation of mini-grids – www.cbn.gov.ng
12. Energising Education Programme (EEP) to provide clean power supply to 37 federal universities and seven university teaching hospitals – https://eep.rea.gov.ng/about-eep
13. Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme (P-YES) to address the needs of unskilled and less educated youth, by targeting areas of activities that are of practical importance and essential to every aspect of the economy – agriculture and food processing, restaurant and catering, tailoring and fashion design, welding, carpentry and joinery, et cetera.
14. Annual National MSME Awards – https://msmeclinics.com.ng/award-categories
15. National Survival Fund designed to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on businesses. Such as free business name registration for 250,000 beneficiaries; one-off payment of N30,000 to more than 300,000 artisans; and payroll support of between N30,000 and N50,000 per worker for between three and 10 staff of qualifying MSMEs, for three months – http://survivalfund.gov.ng
16. A total 52 per cent of loans disbursed by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) in 2019 were to youths and women-owned businesses. DBN has disbursed more than N150 billion through 27 participating financial institutions, impacting close to 100,000 MSMEs.
