‘No free money for lazy people,’ Ngige says

chika ebuzor

January 15, 2016 9:54 AM

He said no country gives free money, adding that the youths will be trained and empowered with various skills.

Dr. Chris Ngige

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has made it clear that the Federal Government will not pay N5,000 to any person who is not ready to work.

The minister said “We also have the programme on the commission cash transfer. Though even you, the press, has said it, we won’t pay N5,000 for people to be indolent. No country in the world would pay people to go home and sleep and collect cash. So, Nigeria would not be an exception.”

Adding that “We will pay some people N5,000, we will pay some N10,000, and even for people in teacher conversion scheme, we will pay more than N10,000 and N15,000 as stipend while in training, and then after the training, they are going to be employed by state government and the Federal Government in different institutions.”

Ngige also said the government will also need to carry the states along, to ensure the programme is a success.

He also added that the government will take advantage of the opportunities that abound in the Agricultural sector.

Read: ‘We are determined to pay N5000 allowance to vulnerable Nigerians,’ Minister says

“Agriculture, because we have some agricultural universities, we will convert some people to teach the relevant agricultural science,” he said.

The Federal Government confirmed last year, 2015, that the payment of the N5000 stipend to the unemployed Nigerian youths will begin in early 2016.

chika ebuzor