The Federal Government says it has set a new deadline for applications to its jobs and training program, N-Power. It now says applications will be accepted until the end of August.
A statement attributed to the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, contained the announcement of the shift in deadline. Mr Akande said that the decision to extend the application period was taken because of the need to access a greater number of young, suitable candidates who would have been denied the opportunity to benefit from the N-Power program if the original deadline had been kept to. According to him, the new deadline for applications is Wednesday, 31 August 2016.
“After the application portal closes, there will be a verification, testing and selection process before successful applicants are enlisted in phases as the specific program design may necessitate”, he added.
The original deadline had been set for July 25, but there had been calls for more time to be given to a large number of young unemployed graduates who had not applied to be enrolled in the program.
N-Power is a Federal Government initiative aimed at reducing youth unemployment, encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, and filling manpower gaps in Nigeria’s critical-needs sectors. The government says it hopes to use the program as a vehicle to provide skills training and employment to 600,000 young Nigerians in the agriculture, education, creativity, construction and artisanal industries.