Ahmed while signing the bill into law promised to create 5000 new youth jobs in 2015 in line with his administration’s commitment to youth development under the Shared Prosperity Programme.

He said he will continue to accord priority to youth empowerment and entrepreneurship because they offer the most reliable means of uplifting the lives of the people.

According to him, the fact that youths constitute more than 60 per cent of the population makes it imperative to focus on employment and entrepreneurship in order to create prosperity for the greatest number of the people.

Government, he said, has outlined plans to cater for the interest of all groups as well as ensure even development in the state under its Shared Prosperity programme

Ahmed commended members of the state House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the bill and pledged to ensure optimum implementation of the budget provisions.

Explaining the upward review of the budget to N122.4b from the earlier proposed N119.8b, Ahmed said the increase was to accommodate an additional N2b as funding for the expanded Micro Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Scheme.