SANUSI BLAMES INCREASE IN POVERTY LEVEL ON UNEMPLOYMENT

By PETER DURU
MAKURD-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Lamido Sanusi has said that over 23.9 per cent of employable Nigerians are currently unemployed.

Lamido said this, yesterday, at the official launch of the North Central Entrepreneurship Development Centre, EDC, in Makurdi. He added that 'the rising figure of the unemployed in Nigeria was responsible for the increasing poverty level in the country.'

The CBN Governor said the apex bank woud not hesitate to embark on ventures that would help create employment for the teeming youths of the country in order to check the level of poverty in the country.

He said the EDC programme was initiated to create jobs for youths pointing out that 'since its inception in 2008, over 10,000 youths have benefitted from the scheme.'

Sanusi urged all stakeholders to give necessary support to the project for its sustenance and growth.

In his speech, Governor Gabriel Suswam who appreciated the Federal Government for considering Benue State as the training centre for north central states and Abuja called on the people of the geo-political zone to take advantage of the centre.

He assured that his administration would create the enabling environment as well as provide N1billion to be disbursed to the trainees as financial support.

While lamenting the level of unmployment in the country, Suswam urged governments at all levels to find solution to the manace in the interest of the future generation.