Nigeria’s First Lady Patience Jonathan
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – Some 27,000 jobs have been created under the Nigerian government’s ”Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOU WIN)” Scheme, which was launched in 2011, according to Nigeria’s First Lady Patience Jonathan.
Mrs. Jonathan announced the figure in a speech read on her behalf by singer Onyeka Onwenu at the fourth Pan African Summit of Youth Leaders of the United Nations.
”The YOU WIN programme has created 27,000 jobs since its inception in Nigeria. The first edition provided 22,000 jobs while the second, which focused on women, created an additional 5,000 jobs,” the First Lady told the youth summit, which runs through 17 Jan. in Dakar, the Senegalese capital.
She said President Goodluck Jonathan launched the third edition of the programme in November 2013.
”The unique thing about the scheme is that it is designed for young people who in turn create jobs for their fellow youths,” Mrs. Jonathan said, adding that the government aims to create 80,000 new jobs by 2015.
She pointed out that in Nigeria, young people aged between 10-24 years constitute 31.7 percent of the population, calling it a ”huge and viable human resource to tap into for national development, if properly harnessed”.
The First Lady also mentioned other empowerment programmes embarked upon by the Nigerian government with a view to creating jobs for the youth.
However, she noted that the government could not do it alone and therefore requires corporate and individual support.
”As we all know, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. When the youths are gainfully engaged, it will enhance peace and at the same time promote development,” she said.
