By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
The beneficiaries of the Micro Enterprise Enhancement Scheme (MEES) loan scheme of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria, have commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting the loan scheme for small scale business owners in Nigeria.
The loan beneficiaries gave the commendation in Lokoja on Thursday, during the flag off and disbursement ceremony of loans to 74 business owners and another set of 20 women who had been trained in shoe and bag making, using fabrics.
At the ceremony, the twenty female trainees received 20 thousand naira loan each as start up capital from the agency to set up micro businesses in the nation’s leather industry.
Seventy four small scale business owners in the state were given twenty thousand naira loan each under the scheme, which supports small scale business owners in Kogi State to grow their businesses in line with the mandate of the national directorate of employment (NDE) to promote entrepreneurship development in Nigeria.
MEES, which is a credit facility scheme for small businesses, provides the beneficiaries with 6 months moratorium, before commencement of repayment within the specified tenor of the loan, which specifically targets and supports existing small scale enterprises , amid current economic hardship facing Nigerian small business owners.
According to the NDE Director General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, represented by the state Coordinator, Mr. Ibidun Abiodun Amos, the scheme is one of the interventions of the NDE in job creation, aimed at reducing the employment crisis in Nigeria.
The Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, represented by Kogi State NDE Coordinator Mr. Ibidun Abiodun Amos, said the NDE would continue to support growth of micro enterprises across Nigeria in line with the economic vision of President Bola Tinubu administration to reduce poverty and unemployment among Nigerians.
The Director General said the NDE would continue to support growth of micro enterprises across Nigeria in line with the economic vision of President Bola Tinubu administration to reduce poverty and unemployment among Nigerians.
NDE State Coordinator, Mr. Abiodun Amos, in a remark at the event, urged the loan beneficiaries to be more hard working, business focused, resilient in their businesses, steadfast in repayment and prudent with the loans to grow their businesses to access further loans with integrity as he warned the beneficiaries against default or delay in repayment in order to enable others benefit from the revolving loan scheme of the NDE.
Mrs Mary Thomas who gave the vote of thanks on behalf of others, expressed gratitude to the management and staff of NDE for the gesture.
The beneficiaries who were visibly overwhelmed with joy, said they were prepared to use the loans to boost their businesses as they expressed gratitude to the federal government for initiating the scheme as they expressed the hope to repay the loan within the stipulated repayment period.
At a separate event same day, Thursday, Kogi State Office of NDE have engaged fifty three unemployed graduates in the state for a 3-month graduate attachment programme (GAP) under its special public works scheme, which provides vocational skills training to the participating graduates across Nigeria, thereby reducing graduates over dependence on civil service jobs.
The scheme attracts monthly payment of allowances to the benefiting participants, who are mainly graduates of tertiary institutions.
The state Coordinator of NDE who declared the programme open on behalf of the Director General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, said at the GAP orientation ceremony in Lokoja that the scheme is aimed at attitudinal change, employment generation, poverty reduction and wealth creation in line with the mission of the agency, which seeks to address the unemployment of the teeming graduates in Nigeria.
