The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced a Sustainable Agriculture Training Program in Agricultural Production and Distribution System for fifty (50) Ogun youths selected across the three Senatorial Districts and twenty (20) Local Governments in the state.
The Director-General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, made this announcement during the opening ceremony and implementation of the 2024 Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme (SADTS). In Ogun State. The DG said,the passionate commitment, kind support and guidance received from the Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment/NDE Supervising Minister, Rt. Hon. (Barr) Nkiruka Onyejeocha Ph.D. OON, made it possible for NDE to promote Agriculture as a business and attract unemployed Nigerians into modern Agriculture in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Director-General, represented by the NDE Ogun State Coordinator, Mrs. Oshinowo K. A., noted that the Directorate has been carrying out its responsibilities through sensitization, counselling, de-radicalization and reorienting the minds of unemployed youth to de-emphasize the search for non-existent white collar jobs and embrace skills acquisition as a deliberate choice for self-reliance and effective contributor into the socio-economy of the nation.
Mrs. Oshinowo explained that the scheme targets unemployed youths, from school leavers to graduates of tertiary institutions, who have a passion for agriculture as an enterprise. The training period is three (3) months, with two (2) weeks of institutional training in both livestock and crop production. The remaining two and a half months will be dedicated to production exercises on adaptive experiential farming.
The Acting Director of the Rural Employment Promotion Department, Ms. Beatrice Oruoyehu, represented by Mrs. Dupe John Paul, emphasized that the aim of the training will amongst others; create employment for the rural communities through training on modern innovative agricultural technology (Exotic vegetable crops/ livestock production skills) along its value chain, improve the livelihood of the rural people, reduce rural-urban migration and expose unemployed youths to the potential in exotic vegetable crops and livestock production farming businesses.
Additionally, the Head of the Rural Employment Promotion Department in Ogun State, Mr. Omitogun Azeez, mentioned in his welcome address that the program will transform narratives by providing participants with comprehensive training in all aspects of agriculture. He assured that competent and experienced agriculturalists have been hired to train the participants.