The National Economic Council, NEC, said out of the 36 states in the federation only 16 have submitted reports on the proposed establishment of state police, in view of the security situation in the country.
This was disclosed at the NEC 140th meeting held virtually. Chairman of the council, Vice President Kashim Shettima, said only 16 states have submitted their report on state police, despite the fact that all the states of the federation expressed their support for it.
NEC also endorsed the implementation of the $617.7 million Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises, i-DICE, programme in the 36 states and the FCT.
This is as the Office of the Accountant-General of Federation disclosed that several months after the government of former President Muhammadu Buhari granted states and FCT N1.72 trillion budget support grant, they were yet to refund the money.
Shettima declared the firm resolve of the renewed hope of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to leave a legacy of prosperity and opportunity for all Nigerians.
He told state governors to nominate persons to represent each geo-political zone at the zonal level and focal persons to lead the implementation of the programme in their respective states.
“But two things are clear. One, we won’t ever regret paving the way for the acquisition of skills that meet the needs of the global markets. Two, our actions today will shape the economic landscape of tomorrow, and so it’s incumbent upon us to ensure that we leave a legacy of prosperity and opportunity for all Nigerians
“When we empower entrepreneurs and small business owners, we unlock the potential for innovation, job creation, and economic growth. By providing access to financing, training, and mentorship programs, we unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that lies within every Nigerian, catalyzing a wave of economic prosperity that benefits us all.”
Meanwhile, the i-DICE programme, the Executive Director in charge of SME’S at the Bank of Industry, Shekarau Omar, said the programme, a special intervention by the government, was designed to deliver on the promise by the Tinubu administration to create millions of jobs in the technology space.
He listed African Development Bank, AfDB, the French Development Agency, AFD, and the Islamic Development Bank, IsDB, among organizations that will fund the programme.
Omar however noted that 1,269,757 youths would be trained and certified in ICT skills, with at least 25,000 youths trained in each state of the federation and the FCT.
He said at least 100,000 jobs will be created per state, while about 5,581,231 indirect jobs will be created through i-DICE interventions nationwide.
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