President Buhari Launches Motorcycle, Keke-Napep, Others For Youth Empowerment Scheme [Photos]

President Muhammadu Buhari has launched motorcyles, tricycles (Keke-Napep), other vocational tools for the Presidential Youth Empowerment Scheme (P-YES) at the State House in Abuja.

P-YES, an intervention programme of the Buhari administration, is aimed at creating 774,000 jobs across the Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.

Present at the launch ere Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, Ebonyi Governor Dave Umahi and other top government officials.

Speaking at the event on Monday, Buhari described P-YES as a cornerstone of his administration’s social and economic development strategies, dding that it was part of the overall policy of ensuring that 100 million Nigerians were lifted out of poverty in 10 years.

“The P-YES is also part of the plan that we adopted in 2016 in which we empowered One hundred youths from each of the 774 local government areas with the necessary tools to acquire skills and establish small businesses.

“Given the success of that initiative, we are now committed to creating 774,000 jobs across all the LGAs, through the P-YES programme.”

President Buhari, who took a tour of P-YES tools and equipment displayed at the forecourt of Presidential Villa expressed delight that the materials showcased represent the fruits of the initiatives by his administration in 2016.

“All the tools, machines and equipment that are exhibited here, are products of the efforts of these empowered youth entrepreneurs.

“I note with particular pleasure that they were all fabricated in Nigeria by Nigerian youths using locally sourced materials. This is a wonderful and uplifting achievement.

“As an entrepreneurship empowerment project, the P-YES programme aims to address the needs of unskilled and less educated youth.

“It targets key areas of activities that are of practical importance and are essential to every aspect of our economy.

“These include areas such as agriculture and food processing, restaurant and catering, tailoring and fashion design, technical skills such as in the Information and Communications Technology sector, artisanship, welding, carpentry and joinery, other small businesses and activities associated with the micro-economic sector of this economy.”

The President urged states, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS) of government to factor the P-YES into their programmes to assist the youth to realise their potentials in their chosen fields.

He also urged local and foreign private sector operators to contribute their share to the expansion of the programme through channelling their corporate social responsibility efforts towards skills acquisition, creation of start-ups, and other intervention measures.

See more photos from the event below:

This is coming three months after the Federal Government officially begun the recruitment of Nigerians for 774,000 jobs under the Special Public Works (SPW) programme.