3,500 women, youths engage in SURE-P in Oyo

A total of 3,500 people, made up of 1,982 males and 1,518 females, are currently engaged under the Community Services, Women and Youths Empowerment (CSWYE) programme of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) in Oyo State, according to Emeka Wogu, minister of labour and productivity, at the weekend.

The minister said in Ibadan the people were working in 144 service units spread across all the 33 local government areas of the state.

Wogu, who led a SURE-P team on a courtesy call on Governor Abiola Ajimobi in his office, also disclosed that the beneficiaries had received a total of N246.8 million as stipends, while a total  of N29.9 million had been remitted to the state as running/management cost between February and September 2013.

He however said his team was in the state to share the successes recorded so far on the implementation of the project  and to consider some areas of possible partnership with the state government for maximum benefit to the people.

In his address, Ajimobi called on the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government not to discriminate against other political parties in the management of the SURE-P.

Consequently, he called for the setting up of a committee comprising representatives of both the Federal Government and state governments in each of the 36 states of the federation that would run the programme, saying such a committee was necessary in order to ensure regular meetings and monitoring of the programme.

“What we should know is that it doesn’t matter whether it is PDP or APC, or whatever. What matters is that we want to help Nigerians. We are all Nigerians, and the Federal Government is government for all Nigerians.

“It’s only that Nigeria has been divided into 36 states but not into 36 countries. So, I think SURE-P and states must work together to ensure that we help our people and the only way we can help our people is for us to synergise in the areas of SURE-P and other similar programmes.

“What I have seen in Nigeria and in our developmental programmes is that we do more talking than action. I think the earlier we all come together and do things in such a way that people will begin to see the effect, the better,’’ he said.

Besides, he also said the committee, if constituted, would ensure synergy between the Federal Government and the state government on the SURE-P scheme and other similar empowerment and poverty alleviation programmes of the states.

“I also like to suggest that we have synergy; when I say synergy, I do not so much like the idea of SURE-P being managed without having a committee of SURE-P with that of the state government that will regularly meet and monitor progress,’’ the governor said.

He added that such a committee should be devoid of unnecessary politicking but should rather be concerned with actualising the aims and objectives of the programme and ultimately improve the socio-economic fabrics of the country.

The governor also suggested an increase in the quantum of participants in the SURE-P programme, saying that counting only thousands as beneficiaries in a population of millions of people would not augur well for the programme.

“When the minister was speaking, he was reeling out the figure of what they have done but when you look at a state with about 10 million population and we are saying only 1,000 or 2,000 people have benefited, to me, this is terribly low.

“What I will, therefore, like to suggest is that if we can quickly increase our rate of penetration and impact, and the quantum of participants, it will be better.

“For instance, I like to see, with the level of commitment of the minister and the Federal Government, that in Oyo State, we have impacted on one million or two million people, but when we are talking thousands in a population of about 10 million people, I am not feeling comfortable,’’ the governor stated.

He also called for the development of a data base for the programme to succeed, adding “we should have targets in quantifiable terms and measure them with time.”

By; REMI FEYISIPO