by James Sambo

President Goodluck Jonathan says his administration is the first since the inception of Nigeria, to create 5,400 direct jobs for the nation’s youths.

Jonathan made the comments on Tuesday, February 10, during the inauguration of the Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The programme, otherwise called YouWin, was designed to encourage youth employment and self-reliance.

The President said that the 2,500 entrepreneurs empowered by his administration, had gone on to create an average of nine jobs each, which brings the total jobs created to 22,000.

Jonathan said: “This will be the first government in the history of Nigeria that will directly create 5,400 jobs through the YouWin programmes. I am also proud to say that the 2,500 entrepreneurs have created an average of nine jobs each, making it a total of 22,000 jobs so far.”

“Entrepreneurs are the engine room of Nigeria’s economy as they are responsible for more than 60 per cent of our $510bn Gross Domestic Product and the MSMEs are responsible for almost 98 per cent of the new jobs created in our economy on an annual basis. The new jobs we are targeting will come from the SMEs,” the president added.

Kolapo Olapoju