Job confusion in Nigeria over FG’s 200,000 jobs

President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria

Confusion exists among many of the 200,000 university and polytechnic graduates employed by Nigeria’s government to start work today as teachers, agricultural and health workers, the BBC has reported.

Many of them have not yet been told where they would work but the government insists that the scheme is going ahead as planned.

They are the first batch of 500,000 graduates the government plans to recruit in a bid to tackle high levels of unemployment.

The government has promised to pay each of them a flat rate of about $100 (£80) a month.

Only last month, the government said the n-power volunteer job and training scheme is President Muhammadu Buhari’s Social Investment Programme.

Speaking on behalf of the President, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said it was a stop gap measure, the Buhari administration is engaged in direct creation of jobs, including the plan to create 500, 000 jobs for unemployed graduates.

He explained that the programme which should have commenced as at October 31, 2016, was delayed on account of the fact that “we are trying to get as many of the equipments that we require,” referring to the tablets that would be given to all the 500,000 N-power undergraduate participants.

The Vice President also explained that efforts are being made “to ensure that all across the country, we are able to provide those opportunities as we promised.”

Already 200,000 unemployed Nigerians have been selected, including 150,000 who would teach and serve in their communities. The balance is made up of 30,000 who would serve as Agric Extension Workers and 20,000 who would serve as public health workers.

Each of the unemployed graduates would get a N30,000 monthly stipend, and also get an electronic tablet that would be packaged with several applications that would train and empower the participants.