By AUSTIN OGWUDA, Asaba

OVER eighteen thousand youths have so far been recruited under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Employment (SURE-P) scheme from the South-South geopolitical zone of the country, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief  Emeka  Wogu has said.

Wogu who stated this in Asaba yesterday during the sensitization and  appraisal tour named  the South- South states that benefited from the SURE-P  recruitment project  as Bayelsa, Cross Rivers,  Edo,  Akwa Ibom , Rivers and Delta,  while  3000 persons benefited from  each state.

His words,  “the need to appraise the field work content of the project so far, through official visits to six states selected on geopolitical zone basis taking into cognizance states’ implementations status has been very compelling.  My visit to Delta State, a pilot State and fore-runner for the South-Souith geopolitical zone on this project is the first leg of this planned tour”.

The Minister disclosed that  426 persons  benefited from   Delta State   under  the pilot scale  and  3000 persons got employed  under the first  ramp-up phase , comprising  1, 610  males , 1816 females while 266 disabled persons  were part of the beneficiaries.

Also speaking, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan said “The SURE-P program is a program that Delta State is very interested in. We want to give it all the support to make the program a success as it is a program that will give confidence to the people. Even if the subsidy has to be completely removed, the people will be assured that the money saved from the subsidy removal will be used for their benefit”.

“At the local government level”, he went on, “the State government made sure the chairmen used the money appropriately. We asked for details of the projects they want to carry out with the funds. We want to ensure that they do not use the money to pay workers salary and allowances.”

“Challenges are expected at the beginning of any new programme, the SURE-P programme is not an exception. This will not make us condemn it, what has to be done is to sit down and see how best we can help address the issue so that the program will be successful”, he added.