The Ondo State Government has stated that the concept of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government still remains a mystery to the people and government of the state.
The State Commissioner for Employment and Productivity, Ogundeji Iroju who stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu in Abuja, said as laudable as the programme was, the state has not been effectively keyed into the programmes articulated in the SURE-P, hence the state has faulty statistics of actual unemployed graduates and youths in the state.
“The Community Service, Youth and Women Empowerment Scheme of the SURE-P is not known to Ondo State government.
“We appeal to your esteemed self to prevail on the principal actors of these programmes to carry the Ondo State Ministry of Employment and Productivity along in the implementation of these programmes, so that we can avail them the benefit of the data base of the unemployed graduates/youths in our data bank,” he stated.
The Commissioner further stated that the state government is also desirous of interfacing into some of the programmes and activities of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which the Federal Ministry of Labour plays prominent role in.
He said the state has engaged over eight thousand people in gainful employment in areas cutting across tiling, aluminum fabrication, poultry keeping, POP and bakery among others.
The minister in his response urged other states to take a cue from the state by creating Ministries of Labour and Employment in their state.
According to Wogu, despite the criticism that greeted the introduction of the SURE-P, the programme has recorded massive success at the federal level.
He promised to pay a visit to the state soon to get first hand information on the constraints of job creation and how the Federal Government could be of help to them.