Date: 2014-05-18

The Kwara State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has lauded the Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed for fulfilling his pledge to engage additional 8200 youths, through Quickwin Empowerment Scheme, with the massive disbursement of letters of engagement to 5,400 youths - first phase beneficiaries.

The party saluted the visionary and focused leadership of the Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed led administration, saying this achievement is greatly laudable particularly at a time the PDP led federal government aided corruption called oil theft is bleeding the country to the tune of #4.25billion per day which has made the 36 state governments cash strapped while many state governments are either struggling to pay workers salaries or indebted to workers.

In a statement issued in Ilorin, Friday, by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, the party advised the federal government and state governments to borrow a leaf from the Kwara State government and urgently embark on massive empowerment and employment of unemployed youths to curb the rising level of insecurity in Nigeria.

The programme covers six broad areas of entrepreneurship scheme, clean and green programme, Kwara Bridge Empowerment programme (KWABES), Kwara environmental corps, the state Road Traffic Maintenance Agency (KWARTMA) and the Kwara State Signage and Advertising Agency(KWASAA).

"Meanwhile, With names of beneficiaries published in the newspapers, the government has given the opposition PDP a deadly blow. The rumour that the scheme was designed to favour a political party over the other has died a natural death.

The published names have justified the government earlier stand that the scheme is strictly apolitical and out of the desire to ensure that the youths of the state are gainfully employed and become successful entrepreneurs.

"We commend Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed for not finding comfort in the fact that Kwara State has the least of unemployed youths in Nigeria but ensuring the movement of youths from idleness to empowerment and ultimately to job placements, his focused leadership that has refused to be distracted by the antics of the opposition PDP is exemplary.

"The connection between unemployment level and rising insecurity in Nigeria is directly proportional.

We advised the federal government and state governments to borrow a leaf from the Kwara State government and urgently embark on massive empowerment and employment of unemployed youths to curb the rising level of insecurity in Nigeria.", the statement read.