Unemployed Nigerian Youths To Start Enjoying N5,000 Monthly Stipend From 2016 – Minister

The federal government has ​​​explained the delay in commencing the payment of N5, 000 monthly stipend it promised unemployed Nigerian youth during the electioneering campaign, is due to the fact that it was not captured in the 2015 budget.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalong, who made this known Wednesday, assured that the federal government would commence payment of the monthly stipend as from 2016, as budgetary provisions would be made for that purpose.

​Speaking when he paid a condolence visit on the national chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, over the death of the party’s candidate in last Saturday’s inconclusive governorship election in Kogi state, Abubakar Audu, the minister said the APC government ​wa​s fully committed to fulfilling all campaign promises made before the last elections.

“I would want the youth to understand that every promise must be backed up by budgetary provision and our promise to pay N5, 000 is not contained in the 2015 budget. So, definitely, it is going to begin in 2016 as we have made budgetary allocations for that”, he said.​

“We are committed to the campaign promises of creating jobs, providing wealth and combat poverty. We have embedded in our manifesto things that we are translating to reality”, Dalong added.​

The minister disclosed that some of the youth empowerment programmes that currently in existence were being reviewed with a view to making them more viable and people-oriented.

He, however, advocated for the setting up of a definite programme of orientation for the Nigerian youth because “they have been frustrated for so long”.

“They have lost confidence in the system and we need to build that back. In not too long a time, I will be hosting a stakeholders summit so that we can reason together so that we can grow their confidence in order for them to benefit from this laudable ideas”, he said.

Earlier, Mr. ​Oyegun said he was happy with the appointment of Mr. Dal​o​ng as Minister of Youth and Sports due to his experience and performance in public life.

The APC chairman expressed the confidence that Dalong would provide the necessary leadership needed to effect change in his ministry.