Business

CBN Moves To Tackle Youth Unemployment

Published

8 years ago

December 1, 2017

The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) says it is partnering Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu Foundation to tackle the lingering unemployment in Nigeria and Imo State in particular.
The CBN Programme Director, Dr Osita Aniemeka, said this yesterday in Owerri when his team visited Chief Emmanuel Iwuanayanwu in his office.
The two partners signed a Memorandium of Understanding on the “New Partnership for Entrepreneurship and Employment Creation (N-PEEC)” programmme.
Aniemeka said the programme would seek to provide a robust new partnership for critical job creation that could drive Nigeria’s development indices.
He said the project would also seek to make all Nigerians responsible for job creation, adding that through the programme, unemployed Nigerians would be assisted to start small and medium scale enterprises.
Aniemeka said this would be achieved after adequate Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) and Vocational Training by the Iwuanyanwu Foundation- a non-governmental organisation with CBN –South East Entrepreneurship Development Centre (CBN-SEEDC).
“Small scale manufacturing/SMEs are very critical in our national development considering the current impact of excessive importation on our economy.
“Unemployed youths and students are also going to be trained on industry related skills spanning through the oil and gas, power sector, the agro-allied and the manufacturing, aside others,” he said.
Aniemeka said a partnership Investment Fund would be generated from individuals, financial institutions, foreign donor agencies, politicians, social organization, captains of industry, philanthropists and foundations to make the scheme workable.
Our correspondent reports that the agreement was signed by the Coordinator of Iwuanyanwu Foundation, Mr Chinedu Nsofor and Dr Aniemeka, Programme Director (CBN-SEEDC) on behalf of CBN.
Chief Iwuanyanwu, the Founder of the foundation, decried the upsurge in youth unemployment, poverty and destitution in Africa.
He said that the worrisome situation had now compelled some Nigerians to migrate to other countries desperately in search of greener pastures with disastrous consequences.
Iwuanyanwu recalled the crucial role of agriculture as the mainstay of the nation’s economy in the First Republic and expressed regret that it was abandoned by all following the discovery of oil.
“Agriculture was honourable and the main stay of the Nigerian economy.
“There were farm settlements and people lived well with it. Other Nigerians engaged in various trades and there was dignity in labour,” he said.
The politician said that all hands must be on deck to arrest unemployment through effective and judicious utilization of the nation’s natural resources.
“Seeing Nigerians languish in hunger is painful more so when the country is blessed with enough human and natural resources.
“It is time for Nigerians to rise up to tackle the challenge of unemployment.
“CBN and Iwuanyanwu Foundation is embarking on a programme that will change the scepter of life of the people and make them understand that there is dignity in labour.
“Our foundation has a programme to make the people realise that they can be rich without being professors or permanent secretaries,” he said.
He enumerated some of the achievements of the foundation to include offering scholarships to thousands of indigent students in post primary schools and universities.
Iwuanyanwu said that by the year 2008, the foundation had offered 10,000 scholarship to university students aside grants and rural infrastructure development.
He said that the foundation also gave cash worth about N6 million to some retired Anglican Church bishops, retired civil servants, old peoples’ homes and motherless babies’ homes.
Iwuanyanwu commended the CBN on the partnership and urged all Nigerians to work with the government to end poverty in the country.(NAN)
CEO/TÁ
Edited by Tajudeen Atitebi

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.