The Federal Government, on Monday, in Abuja, approved the total sum of N19.24bn for the training of 50,000 non-graduate N-power beneficiaries and the procurement of taxiway lighting system in the Port Harcourt, Lagos and Abuja airports.
The sum also covers consultancy services for the Dadin Kowa 40MW power project in Gombe State and the furnishing of the 10-storey headquarters of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency located in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The Ministers of Humanitarian Affairs, Social Development and Disaster Management, Sadiya Farouk, and her counterparts in the Ministries of Aviation, Education and Water Resources, revealed this to journalists after an extraordinary meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja.
In March 2023, The PUNCH reports that the FG had approved the engagement of four of its agencies to train 50,000 Non-Graduate N-Power beneficiaries for nine months. They include the National Institute of Transport Technology, Industrial Training Fund, National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism and the Hydraulic Equipment Development Institute.
Farouk said “The other memo is submitted, which is to seek Council’s approval for the engagement of four federal agencies for the training of the non-graduates N-Power beneficiaries. This is in the total sum of N14.21bn with 7.5% as VAT.”
She added that the life skills acquisition programme had been on since the inception of the N-Power programme in 2016 as the third batch begin training soon.
“We’re now in Batch C of that programme. And we have received a report from these agencies of what we have done thus far and we are very satisfied with them. We have engaged them again and this is what we brought to the Council for approval and it graciously approved,” said the Minister.
Farouk added that the council approved a policy on the homegrown school feeding programme. An initiative she said has reduced the number out-of-school children nationwide.
Although silent about the actual figures, she expressed hope that Nigeria’s out-of-school population would be drastically reduced by 2030.
“One memo we presented today is a policy on the national home-grown school feeding programme which is a food-based and cost effective programme widely used around the world.
“This is under the national social investment programme. It is an important aspect of that programme because it seeks to address issues of education, health, social protection and agriculture.
“It also seeks to address the issue of out-of-school children. Recall that this programme feeds primary one, two and three pupils in schools daily and in fact, we have witnessed significant school enrollment nationwide,” Farouk explained.
She said the programme has provided significant socio-economic relief to poor and vulnerable households, encouraging them to allow their children to attend school.
‘So this policy is the guiding document that is supposed to guide the activities and enhance this program delivery for a period of time. Hopefully, between now and 2030 we should be able to get all our children that are out of school back to school,” she said.
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, revealed that the council approved the full business case for the establishment of an aviation leasing company and the sum of N3.05bn for taxiway lighting and other equipment for airports nationwide.
Sirika said, “So today in council, something very significant has happened in the world of civil aviation, part of our roadmap. The Aviation Leasing Company has been established and approved by council.
“Therefore, entrepreneurs and civil aviation will have access to lease equipment at affordable rates and within Nigeria.
