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Nigeria at 64: Tinubu announces employment scheme to create 2.5m jobs for Nigerians

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced an employment scheme, known as Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme, LEEP, to create 2.5 million jobs for Nigerians directly and indirectly. Tinubu made this known during his 64th Independence Day speech on Tuesday. According to him, the initiative, which will commence in November 2024, aims to ensure
Nigeria at 64: Tinubu announces employment scheme to create 2.5m jobs for Nigerians

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced an employment scheme, known as Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme, LEEP, to create 2.5 million jobs for Nigerians directly and indirectly.

Tinubu made this known during his 64th Independence Day speech on Tuesday.

According to him, the initiative, which will commence in November 2024, aims to ensure the welfare and safety of workers across the country.

“In addition, later this month, we shall launch The Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP).

“It is conceived as a comprehensive suite of interventions at job creation by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment that is aimed at facilitating the creation of 2.5 million jobs, directly and indirectly, on an annual incremental basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the welfare and safety of workers across the country”, he said.

The president had also announced the national 30-day Youths Conference to address economic hardship.

According to him, the confab will ensure that the voices of youths are heard and recommendations implemented by his administration.

He said better days are ahead for Nigeria, urging Nigerians not to lose hope in the country.

Nigeria at 64: Tinubu announces employment scheme to create 2.5m jobs for Nigerians

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• October 1, 2024
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Edo Deputy governor, Shaibu resume duty, inspects projects

The reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, on Monday formally resumed official duty as the number two citizen of the state with the inspection of some ongoing projects. DAILY POST reports that the deputy governor who was impeached by the State House of Assembly March 18, 2024, was, however, reinstated by Justice J.
Edo Deputy governor, Shaibu resume duty, inspects projects

The reinstated deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, on Monday formally resumed official duty as the number two citizen of the state with the inspection of some ongoing projects.

DAILY POST reports that the deputy governor who was impeached by the State House of Assembly March 18, 2024, was, however, reinstated by Justice J. K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on July 18, 2024

Justice Omotosho had, while reinstating the deputy governor, in a suit between him (Shaibu), Edo Government and the State House of Assembly averred that the office of the deputy governor was ab initio not vacate.

The court also last week denied the State Government stay of execution order in the impeachment of the deputy governor.

Following the development, Shaibu resumed official duty with the inspection of the ongoing projects awarded by the state government.

The projects inspected by the embattled deputy governor are the ongoing construction of the government owned Radisson Blu Hotel on Golf Course Road, work on Central Road and the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) all in Benin City.

Shaibu, who was accompanied on the inspection by aides and security details, also had a private audience with the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Edwin Iwo-Nemi, before continuing with the inspection.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after interaction with the contractors handling the projects, Shaibu insisted that he had since resumed duties following his reinstatement by Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

According to him, “the issue of reinstatement should be a thing of the past. I don’t think we should be talking about it.

“Judgement has been made. We should move forward. The issue is if I can work with Obaseki. Can I work with him? I can work with him but he cannot work with me.

“The office of the Deputy Governor is not an office under Obaseki. It’s an office created by the Constitution. You should understand the difference between the office of the Governor and the office of the Deputy Governor and the constitutionality of the office.

“I am deputy governor and my role is clearly defined. It’s an elective and not an appointive position. I have my certificate of return. I have two certificates of return”, he said.

He added that he would continue with the inspection of more projects in the next two weeks.

He said he would continue with the project’s inspection in Edo South senatorial district next two weeks, and thereafter to Edo Central and Edo North senatorial districts, respectively, to check what the outgoing administration had done.

“My own duty as deputy governor is to discharge my duties as deputy governor. I have come to inspect what is going on here at the museum. We went round and to other projects. Administratively, there are issues that have to be sorted out.

“There are administrative issues at Radisson Blu which have to be sorted out. It’s work and work. In the next six weeks, we have to put things in proper perspective so that the next sheriff in town will know where we are.

“I am doing my work as deputy governor. I am on ground and not in exile. A new sheriff is in town and we must hand him over to him. That’s where we are”, he added.

Meanwhile, the State Government has warned Philip Shiabu not to act in breach of extant laws.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the governor, Crusoe Osagie, warned Shaibu not to disrupt the process of governance but to subject himself to the law at all times.

“Shaibu, just like any private citizen, can take a tour around the exceptional projects of Governor Godwin Obaseki.

“We warn, however, that both Philip Shaibu and the security agencies should not carry out actions that violate the laws and the constitution.

“Shaibu should be patient and wait for the Appeal Court to hear his matter; he needs to learn to subject himself to authority of the law”, he stated.

Edo Deputy governor, Shaibu resume duty, inspects projects

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Nigeria@64: Tinubu’s Independence anniversary speech

Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard. As your President, I assure
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Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard. As your President, I assure

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Independence Anniversary: President Tinubu addresses Nigerians [Full Speech]

Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard. As your President, I assure
Independence Anniversary: President Tinubu addresses Nigerians [Full Speech]

Fellow Nigerians, as I address you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your voices are heard.

As your President, I assure you that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.

Exactly 64 years ago, our founding fathers chose democracy as a form of government and launched the dream of a great country that would lead the rest of Africa out of poverty, ignorance, and underdevelopment, a beacon of hope to the rest of Africa and the world.

Over six decades later, we can look back, and Nigerians worldwide can see how well we have succeeded in realising the lofty dreams of our founding fathers.

The world is witnessing and benefiting from the can-do spirit of the Nigerian people, our massive intellectual capacity, and our enterprise and industry in all vocations, from arts to science, technology to infrastructure. The dreams that our founding fathers envisaged are still a work in progress. Every day, we put our hands on the plough, determined to do a better job of it.

While it is tempting to focus on what has been left undone and where we have stumbled as a nation, we must never lose sight of how far we have come in forging and holding our country together.

Since independence, our nation has survived many crises and upheavals that led to the dissolution and disintegration of many other nations worldwide. Six years after independence, our country descended into a political crisis that led to a bitter and avoidable civil war. Since returning from the brink of that darkest moment, we have learned to embrace our diversity and manage our differences better as we continue to work towards engendering a more perfect union.

Despite the many challenges that buffeted our country, we remain a strong, united, and viable sovereign nation.

Dear compatriots, our independence anniversary gives us another chance to reflect on how far we have gone in our journey to nation-building and to renew our commitment to building a better nation that will serve present and future generations of Nigerians.

While we celebrate the progress we have made as a people in the last sixty-four years, we must also recognise some of our missed opportunities and mistakes of the past. If we are to become one of the greatest nations on earth, as God has destined us to be, our mistakes must not be allowed to follow us into the future.

My administration took over the leadership of our country 16 months ago at a critical juncture. The economy faced many headwinds, and our physical security was highly impaired. We found ourselves at a dizzying crossroads, where we must choose between two paths: reform for progress and prosperity or carry on business-as-usual and collapse. We decided to reform our political economy and defence architecture.

On the security front, I am happy to announce to you, my compatriots, that our administration is winning the war on terror and banditry. Our target is to eliminate all the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent extremism. Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever. As of the last count, over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders have been eliminated by our gallant troops in the Northeast, Northwest, and some other parts of the country.

We have restored peace to hundreds of communities in the North, and thousands of our people have been able to return home. It is an unfinished business, which our security agencies are committed to ending as quickly as possible. As soon as we can restore peace to many communities in the troubled parts of the North, our farmers can return to their farms. We expect to see a leap in food production and a downward spiral in food costs. I promise you, we shall not falter on this.

Our government has been responding to the recent natural disasters, particularly the flooding in parts of the country. After Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Maiduguri, I also visited to assure our people that this federal government will always stand with our people in their times of trouble. At the last meeting of the Federal Executive Council, we approved a Disaster Relief Fund to mobilise private and public sector funds to help us respond faster to emergencies.

Our government has also ordered integrity tests of all our dams in the country to avert future disasters.

The economy is undergoing the necessary reforms and retooling to serve us better and more sustainably. If we do not correct the fiscal misalignments that led to the current economic downturn, our country will face an uncertain future and the peril of unimaginable consequences.

Thanks to the reforms, our country attracted foreign direct investments worth more than $30 billion in the last year.

Fellow compatriots, our administration is committed to free enterprise, free entry, and free exit in investments while maintaining the sanctity and efficacy of our regulatory processes. This principle guides the divestment transactions in our upstream petroleum sector, where we are committed to changing the fortune positively. As such, the ExxonMobil Seplat divestment will receive ministerial approval in a matter of days, having been concluded by the regulator, NUPRC, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. This was done in the same manner as other qualified divestments approved in the sector.

The move will create vibrancy and increase oil and gas production, positively impacting our economy.

The more disciplined approach adopted by the Central Bank to monetary policy management has ensured stability and predictability in our foreign exchange market. We inherited a reserve of over $33 billion 16 months ago. Since then, we have paid back the inherited forex backlog of $7 billion. We have cleared the ways and means debt of over N30 trillion. We have reduced the debt service ratio from 97 per cent to 68 per cent. Despite all these, we have managed to keep our foreign reserve at $37 billion. We continue to meet all our obligations and pay our bills.

We are moving ahead with our fiscal policy reforms. To stimulate our productive capacity and create more jobs and prosperity, the Federal Executive Council approved the Economic Stabilisation Bills, which will now be transmitted to the National Assembly. These transformative bills will make our business environment more friendly, stimulate investment and reduce the tax burden on businesses and workers once they are passed into law.

As part of our efforts to re-engineer our political economy, we are resolute in our determination to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy of local governments.

The central concern of our people today is the high cost of living, especially food costs. This concern is shared by many around the globe as prices and the cost of living continue to rise worldwide.

My fellow Nigerians, be assured that we are implementing many measures to reduce the cost of living here at home.

I commend the Governors particularly, in Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Kwara, Nasarawa, and the Southwest Governors that have embraced our agricultural production programme. I urge other states to join the Federal Government in investing in mechanised farming. We are playing our part by supplying fertilizer and making tractors and other farm equipment available. Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved establishing a local assembly plant for 2000 John Deere tractors, combine harvesters, disc riders, bottom ploughs and other farm equipment. The plant has a completion time of six months.

Our energy transition programme is on course. We are expanding the adoption of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas for mass transit with private sector players. The Federal Government is ready to assist the thirty-six States and FCT in acquiring CNG buses for cheaper public transportation.

Fellow Nigerians, while we are working to stabilise the economy and secure the country, we also seek to foster national unity and build social harmony and cohesion. Our economy can only thrive when there is peace.

As we work to overcome the challenges of the day, we remain mindful of the next generation as we seek to galvanize their creative energy towards a better future. We lead today with the future we wish to bequeath to our children in focus, recognizing that we cannot design a future that belongs to them without making them its architects.

Considering this, I am pleased to announce the gathering of a National Youth Conference. This conference will be a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting our young people, who constitute more than 60 per cent of our population. It will provoke meaningful dialogue and empower our young people to participate actively in nation-building. By ensuring that their voices are heard in shaping the policies that impact their lives, we are creating a pathway for a brighter tomorrow.

The 30-day Confab will unite young people nationwide to collaboratively develop solutions to issues such as education, employment, innovation, security, and social justice. The modalities of this Confab and selection of delegates will be designed in close consultation with our young people through their representatives. Through this confab, it will be our job as leaders to ensure that their aspirations are at the heart of the conference’s deliberations. The government will thoroughly consider and implement the recommendations and outcomes from this forum as we remain resolute in our mission to build a more inclusive, prosperous, and united Nigeria.

Our government is implementing several other youth-centric programmes to give our young people an advantage in the rapidly changing world. We are implementing, amongst others, the 3 million Technical Talents programme (3MTT) of the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent backbone.

We have also enthusiastically implemented the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides cheap loans to our students to pursue their tertiary educational dreams. In addition, later this month, we shall launch The Renewed Hope Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP). It is conceived as a comprehensive suite of interventions at job creation by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment that is aimed at facilitating the creation of 2.5 million jobs, directly and indirectly, on an annual incremental basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the welfare and safety of workers across the country.

As is the tradition, the government will soon announce all the beneficiaries of our national honours for 2024.

The Senate President and the Chief Justice of the Federation have been conferred with the honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). The deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives have the honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while the deputy speaker of the House has been awarded Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) .

Fellow Nigerians, better days are ahead of us. The challenges of the moment must always make us believe in ourselves. We are Nigerians—resilient and tenacious. We always prevail and rise above our circumstances.

I urge you to believe in our nation’s promise. The road ahead may be challenging, but we will forge a path toward a brighter future with your support. Together, we will cultivate a Nigeria that reflects the aspirations of all its citizens, a nation that resonates with pride, dignity, and shared success.

As agents of change, we can shape our destiny and build a brighter future by ourselves, for ourselves and for future generations.

Please join our administration in this journey towards a brighter future. Let us work together to build a greater Nigeria where every citizen can access opportunities and every child can grow up with hope and promise.

May God continue to bless our nation and keep members of our armed forces safe.

Happy Independence anniversary, my fellow Nigerians!

-President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Independence Anniversary: President Tinubu addresses Nigerians [Full Speech]