by Rachel Ogbu

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has instructed that payments to interns under the Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, of the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P) must be made immediately.

She gave the order following complaints from some interns who said they were not being paid their monthly stipend of N18, 600.

Speaking as she co-launched the GIS of the SURE-P with its Chairman, Christopher Kolade, in Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala said there was a need to discuss honestly and cover all issues with a view to ensuring that interns received full benefits of the programme in terms of their welfare.

“I am happy that you have spoken up. This is why we are holding this stakeholders interaction to enable us have a feedback upon which necessary actions can be taken to ensure that the programme achieves the purpose for which it was intended.

“All those who have not received their stipends should list their names and their firms to enable the secretariat follow-up immediately. Latest within a week all such interns must be paid”.

The Vanguard reports:

The minister noted that about 1.8 million employable individuals were entering the nation’s labour market annually and that with youth unemployment put at about 37 per cent, the figure as unacceptable and required concerted efforts by both public and private sector operators to address the challenge.

According to her, the GIS was targeting 50, 000 youths of ages 18-40 and that the group which formed a critical mass for the desired accelerated economic development of the nation could not be ignored.

She appealed to private sector operators to collaborate with the Federal Government with a view to making a successes of each of the programmes targeting employment generation in all sectors.

Also speaking, Dr. Kolade urged all well-meaning Nigerian individuals and corporate organisations, to borrow a leaf from the employment generation programmes of the Federal Government to save the youths from the streets in the overall interests of the society and the future of the nation.

He challenged corporate organisations to see the scheme as a new window to broaden their Corporate Social Responsibilities, CSRs, by accepting as many interns as they can and providing regular jobs or mentoring them enough to become entrepreneurs.