The Lagos State Government has said the state’s
N25bn State Employment Trust Fund will cater for only the unemployed and
aspiring entrepreneurs who are resident in Lagos.
The Commissioner of Economic Planning and Budget,
Lagos State, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade, in an interview with our correspondent,
however said the fund, which is geared towards addressing youths unemployment
and promoting wealth creation through entrepreneurial development, would be
available to all tribes.
According to Ashade, this is the government’s way of
intervening in employment generation and getting Lagosians jobs.
When asked if the scheme was open to every
unemployed in Lagos, Ashade stated, “It is open to Lagosians because this is
Lagos State. Lagosians, no matter tribe, religion or party affiliation, are the
people we are focusing on. The government is to serve Lagosians, no matter
their party affiliations.”
He added, “What we have realised is that if we don’t
restrict it to Lagosians and people that are resident in Lagos, who we can identify
through Lagos residents registration database, it will lead to a situation
where people that are not contributing to the wealth of Lagos will come from
other parts (of the country) to benefit from what is meant for Lagosians. And
we want to put a stop to that.
“We are not going to discriminate as long as you are
resident in Lagos.”
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had signed the bill
establishing the Fund into law and appointed members of its Board of Trustees.
The governor had said an annual contribution of
N6.25bn would be injected into the Fund by the state government for four years,
totalling N25bn.
Ashade said, “The guidelines are going to be very
simple. The interest rate is three per cent. We are trying to promote financial
inclusion so that people that will not be able to access credits of financing
from the conventional banks will find succour and be able to do that through
the Employment Trust Fund.
“Beyond that, it will also create the enabling
environment for businesses to thrive in Lagos. Once businesses thrive in Lagos,
they will provide more employment for the teeming population. We are ensuring
that we remove bureaucracies in issuing necessary permits for private
businesses.”
Ashade also stated that Lagos had the capacity to
support the a-meal-a-day programme for pupils of primary schools.
“I am not speaking for other states. It is also
beneficial to us that the Federal Government is contributing 60 per cent and we
are going to provide a counterpart fund of just 40 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said while some critics had argued
that some states might not be able to sustain the programme, it had economic
benefits for any state that adopted it.
Ashade said, “One benefit of it is that it will
increase school enrolment and it will also provide the nutritional needs of our
pupils. There is an agricultural value chain around that: some people will
plant some of the food that we need to use for the meals not forgetting the
vendors and transportation.
“These will also jumpstart some critical sectors of
our state and some other states that decide to embrace the programme. I think
the advantages are what we should concentrate on and not whether some states
can afford it.”
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