The Kaduna State Deputy governor Amb. Audu Bajoga, a one-time PDP State Chairman and Chairman, Subsidy Investment Project sure-p) has said that Governor Yero is of utmost determination to see that Kaduna regains its lost glory of an economically viable state. As such has keyed into the federal government’s programme with the plan to take on 2000 graduates into its workforce as a way of reducing unemployment which in turn reduces crime rate and provides an enabling environment for economic activities to strive. In the same vein, it has necessitated the decision of the state government to lease out the comatose industries in the state and whereby buyers are not forth-coming, find ways of reviving them in order to provide more employment opportunities for the people.

These and some other burning issues His Excellency throws light on. Zainab Tanimu was there for Top Celebrities Magazine.

Your Excellency, could you throw light on the recent programme of taking on graduates into the workforce?

Kaduna State is embarking on taking on 2000 graduates. We shall send them to various ministries were we have the need for them. But they would be restricted mainly to some specialized professions that are lacking in government. We have a programme of graduate internship. It’s a federal government programme where graduates would be employed either by government or private individuals and the federal government would pay them N30,000 every month. It is left to the employer to pay whatever stipends. Even if they are not paid, at least the federal government’s intention is to get these youth and graduates engaged At least doing something instead of sitting at home doing nothing. So Kaduna State is embarking on taking on 2000 graduates. We shall send them to various ministries where we have the need for them but would be restricted mainly to some specialized professions that are lacking in government.

Within the course of the year, because it is a one year programme, we shall pay them N10,000, in addition to the N30,000 that is to be paid by the federal government and at the end of the year, those we find suitable we shall engage them and then employ them as civil servants at the end of the day.

We have set aside one billion naira, 500million naira to bank of industries so that our small and medium scale industries, those that are interested can access this money with very soft loans. We have put the same 500million naira in the bank of agriculture for our farmers who would access these loans for their activities this year.

Meanwhile, as the 2013 SURE-P programme is going on, we shall also be accumulating that of 2014. You know every month, Federal Government releases money. By the end of the year, we shall kick start also the programme of 2014.

Sir on the issue of resuscitating the comatose industries, what plans does the government have in making the whole industries work?

We have put some of them in the market and if we don’t have buyers for them, we want to reactivate them. Like the pharmaceutical company in Zaria; we have not had a buyer yet and the governor is planning to see if he will be able to make it work. As for the tomatoes factory at Ikara, we have somebody who wants to lease the company from us. They have already put somebody there and have even test run it. We have agreed on all the terms; so very soon the factory would be producing. That of Kafanchan, the ginger in Kachia, the sugar in Makarfi are in the market. If we can get people that would lease it or ready to buy them outright, we are ready to do so. As for the pharmaceutical company in Zaria, we have brought in some people from Pakistan. They seem interested but we are still waiting for them to come and work on the terms. Meanwhile, the governor has given directive that the person that managed it last should come and give him the bills to know how much the government would need to put in to make it work. For making it work means generating more money. So, while the state government is waiting for interested persons, that of pharmaceutical company in Zaria would be working.

Your Excellency, talking of the graduate internship, how soon is the exercise going to commence and what are the criteria to be used in the recruitment of these graduates?

It is going to be as soon as possible. We are expecting a team from Abuja, from SURE- P federal. We would be meeting with our team here tomorrow and then kick start the whole process. Two states are even ahead of us and by the grace of God we would be the third. So, we are all ready for it since the money is on ground. What is left now is to source the beneficiaries.

The criteria would be based on the area of discipline that we are lacking in the ministries. For example, Ministry of Works, we may require more civil engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors. These are areas of discipline where we are lacking. It is for you who is interested to access the method that is being used through the internet. It is the federal government that does the selection after knowing the criteria of the people wanted and they would send it to us.

How sustainable is this recruitment of graduates going to be?

You see, we want to use this as a stepping stone. Internship means short term. Just like the youth service; it is for the period of time. Actually, youth service is supposed to be called internship. Just as you have it in US. So, it’s for the period of that one year. Within that one year, I assure you we would absorb all those that satisfy all conditions. Even those that do not satisfy all conditions, I assure you that we shall absorb all of them by the end of the year. We are not going to throw anybody back to the market. We are just using this advantage that the federal government has made available to finance the programme for the period of one year. We are embracing it. It’s like counterpart funding. While the federal government is giving its part, we are giving our own part so that we can benefit from the project.

Looking at the sustainability of this programme, how are you going to pay these people if you absorb them into the civil service because sometime back, the health workers went on strike. Are you going to pay them from SURE-P funds?

Let me correct you. Workers did not go on strike because of lack of salaries. Kaduna State has never at any point in time not been able to pay salaries. We know of those state governments that cannot even pay salaries. It has nothing to do with those that went on strike. Those that went on strike were asking for increase that the federal government entered into long time ago which the state governments agreed to pay same. The least amount we have paid is 80%. What the health workers were asking for was just 20% of that increase not salaries. Even the doctors, theirs is 10%. The amount of money from the federal government, we told them is not sustainable enough for us to be talking of increase now. We know of those state governments that cannot even pay salaries. So, it is not the issue of salaries. Those that went on strike are asking for addition. So, we don’t have that problem. The polytechnic workers that are on strike now have same problem of increase. They want their balance to be completed for them.

With the 2000 that are coming on board, it is the work of government to supplement. You know, many people are retiring and many are dying. Do we have to leave the civil service empty? People have to come on board. Then with the 2000 graduates; since we have the SURE-P funds now, we want to use this advantage to put in these people in the service so that we have soft landing.

For somebody to earn N40,000 a month; it is almost the salary of a high grade person in government today.

Local government is a government of its own. They constitute the big states. This money actually is supposed to go directly to them but we as a state only collects it for them.