A nutritionist, Mrs Stella Henry has hailed the Federal Government for setting up the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in the country as it has helped in the acquisition of various skills for the citizens.

 Mrs Henry who doubles as the national chairman of NDE trainers in Rivers State and proprietor of Jehovah Shalom Resource Institute  disclosed this an interview with The Tide last Wednesday.

 She said the government took the bull by the horns by venturing into the scheme. She explained that those who want to make their lives better in society had shown much appreciation to the federal government for coming up with the scheme as most of them are proud owners of their own business establishment with some becoming employers of labour and while some beneficiaries  had become trainers themselves. 

 She said although most of the trainees made good use of the equipment given to them. Some diverted them to unprofitable ventures, advising that a machinery should be put in place by government to check the ugly trend. On the issue of items meant for trainees reaching them as at when due, Mrs Henry pointed out that the possibility of diversion should not be ruled out and accordingly advised those who may be in the habit to desist as it was counter productive, stressing that trainers afterall do what they are doing as their own contribution to national development.

The nutritionists maintained that trainers are faced with the challenges of maintenance and upgrading of equipment coupled with the issue of power generation, and that since she began training of people in 2000, she had successfully trained more than one thousand persons of both sexes in different skills ranging from fashion design cookery, interior decoration among others.

 It would be recalled that the NDE set up 27 years ago, precisely in 1987, was meant to tackle unemployment in the country and has so far, according to reports, trained more than six million people since its inception, especially the unemployed.