YESSO registers 2.4m vulnerable persons for employment in 15 states

About 2.4 million persons have been employed in 15 states under the World Bank assisted Youth Employment and Social Support Operations (YESSO) programme.

Acting National Coordinator of the Federal Operation Coordinating Unit (FOCU) of the programme, Mrs Hajara Sami disclosed this recently in Abia State. 

Abia State YESSO Focal Person and Coordinator, Endi Ezengwa, said Abia State keyed into programme as the 16th state and the only state in the Southeast zone to do so.

He commended Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for domesticating the programme, adding that YESSO and the state’s Education for Employment (E4E) programme, which he also coordinates, were among the state’s human resources development programmes.

“The PWF Scheme was established to provide immediate community chosen labour-intensive activities for individuals from the register of poor and vulnerable with the hallmark being the provision of immediate financial assistance to help these vulnerable members of the society engage in some economic activities to enhance their consumption and avail them other sources of livelihood”.

She said 140,000 YESSO Public Work Fare  (PWF) beneficiaries have been deployed, 3,594 Skills-For-Job (S4J) graduates are practicing their acquired skills in different sectors, 2,837 are in the field, while Abia and six other states have started orientation and would soon be deployed on the S4J component.

Similarly, she said over 325,236 Internally Displaced (ID) households with over 1.6 million individuals have been captured in the Unified Register of Beneficiaries in the Northeast of which 44,188 internally displaced persons (IDPs) already received over N1.4 million as a basic grant on the Targeted Grant Component.

In Abia State, 3,869 unskilled youths have under the YESSO PWF been deployed into labour intensive work activities in the state six pilot LGAs.

“The flag-off ceremony signified the commencement of support to unemployed youths with a low level of education from poor and vulnerable households who will be benefiting from a monthly stipend of N 7,500.00 per month through the PWF for the next one year.

“This is a culmination from the series of events and processes on the part of PWF and Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in Abia State.”

Speaking, S4J Component Focal Person, Mrs Olaomi Roseline Silvia, said the beneficiaries would undergo nine months training comprising three months of tutorials and six months of practical before graduation.

While performing the flagging-off the programme, Governor Ikpeazu described YESSO as another milestone in the state’s quest for jobs creation. 

He urged the YESSO beneficiaries to take the programme seriously saying, “whatever training you acquire, use it to better yourself. If you deploy the Abia spirit in you, you can become millionaires and employers of labour. Abia will also excel in YESSO.”

Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Education, Mrs Rita Okengwu, described YESSO as a life-changing project that would reduce unemployment and create wealth and urged the beneficiaries to take it seriously.