In an effort to tackle the increasing spate of unemployment in the state, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the federal government and that of Kaduna State government yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to engage 2,000 graduates in the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS).

Speaking during the signing ceremony which held at the Sir Kashim Government House, Kaduna, the leader of the federal government team, Barrister Audu Maikori, who spoke on behalf of the chairman of SURE-P, General Martins Luther Agwai (rt) explained that the scheme was meant to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country and by extension in the state.

According to him, the rate of the unemployment was largely responsible for the insecurity currently ravaging the country, and assured that, with the scheme in place, the unemployed graduates would be positively engaged and kept busy.

The scheme, he said, would further reduce social vices in the society, build capacity and empower young people in the system.

He said: “The federal government will pay each of the 2,000 graduates from the state the sum of N30,000 while the Kaduna State government has agreed to augment with the sum of N10,000 totalling N40,000 monthly while the one year internship programme lasts.

Responding shortly after signing the MoU, the Kaduna State SURE-P Chairman and Deputy Governor Ambassador Nuhu Audu Bajoga on behalf of the state government, commended the initiative and described the initiative as a welcomed develop     ment generation initiative, we decided to key into the scheme to get people who will work for us while we pay little.”

While reiterating that the state has large number of unemployed graduates, he said no fewer than 80 unemployed graduates will be engaged from each of the 23 local government areas.