3MTT programme will create three million jobs for youths - Presidency

The Federal Government has announced that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has set up the structures to create three million jobs for youth through the 3 Million Technical Talent (MTT) Programme.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made this statement in Abuja on Monday at the Nigeria Police Youth Summit with the theme “Enhancing the Nigerian Youth Value for National Security Intelligence.”

Idris, represented by Jibrin Baba Ndace, the Director of the Voice of Nigeria, said the 3MTT Programme, driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Technology, is an incubator for the education and skills needed to enhance the capacity and value of the youths in national security intelligence.

“The 3MTT Programme is an affirmation of President Tinubu’s vision of factoring youth development into the overall national development strategy. To lay a formidable framework towards achieving this, the administration is also prioritising the economic security of Nigerian youths, towards building a more secure and prosperous country,” he said.

Idris said the enactment of the Nigerian Education Loan (NEL) Fund, which is currently providing loans and financial support for Nigerian students, is one of the notable initiatives under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at making a significant impact on the educational pursuit of the youth.

The minister, while addressing the issue of the high cost of transportation in the country, said the introduction of the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) policy by the President seeks to leverage the nation’s sufficiency in gas to reduce the cost of transportation by about 70%.

Idris, therefore, encouraged the youth to take advantage of government policies and explore them for personal comfort, economic growth, and empowerment.

The minister also stressed the need for the youth to imbibe the necessary morals and values in order to play their expected roles in national security intelligence.

“Better still, the renaissance identified with the crucial national security intelligence role for our youths cannot come without the necessary value reorientation. The expected Nigeria’s Values Charter initiated by this administration, spearheaded by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), will serve as a blueprint for a national value system, defining us as Nigerians and strengthening our personality and roles as citizens,” he said.

The minister, however, warned the youth of the national security implications of spreading fake news, disinformation, and misinformation, saying this nefarious conduct is a flagrant abuse of the freedom of expression, which the present administration upholds.

“Where much is given, much is expected. We must acknowledge that disinformation intersects with significant national security threats, including incitement to anarchy and instability, transnational crimes, terrorism, banditry and their financing, violent extremism, and malicious cyber activity,” he stated.