YESSO Unveils Database Of Poor, Unemployed In Kogi State

Kogi State Youth Employment and Social

Support Operation (YESSO) has made public

her database of poor, unemployed and

vulnerable persons in the state to help

government and non-governmental

organisations identify and assist the real

beneficiaries of poverty-related

interventions.

The project coordinator, Kogi State YESSO,

Mr Noah Alilu, made the disclosure during a

one-day interactive forum for the

stakeholders of the programme.

He explained that the world-class Single

Register of the Kogi State YESSO is a

veritable launch pad for effective and result-

oriented empowerment programmes.

According to Noah, YESSO’s single and

update-able register is a transparent credible

and reliable database of the poor and

vulnerable in the twenty one local

governments in Kogi state.

“Approved by the World Bank as a

dependable database, the YESSO single

register can help Kogi State government and

political office holders mine and select real

poor beneficiaries to be targeted for poverty

alleviation efforts.

“The YESSO database provides accurate

information on the identity, characteristics

and location of poor individuals that can be

used to select beneficiaries of Youth

Empowerment programmes across Kogi

State,” he said.

The project coordinator announced that

about 12,984 unemployed youth from the 21

local government areas of Kogi State will

benefit from the Public Workfare programme

of the Kogi State YESSO.

He said the first phase of the Public

Workfare programme implementation will

engage 4,404 unemployed youths from six

local government areas of Ibaji, Dekina,

Lokoja, Ajaokuta, Okene and Yagba West,

adding that participants from the remaining

local government areas will benefit in the

second and third phases subsequently.

Alilu disclosed that the Public Workfare

programme was designed to support the

state government to provide immediate

labour intensive work opportunities for

unskilled youth from poor households while

each of the beneficiary receives stipends of

N7,500 monthly.

He explained that the programme, which is

being supported 90 per cent by the World

Bank with 10 per cent counterpart

contributions by the state government, would

engage youth in public works such as

construction and rehabilitation of community

feeder roads; refuse collection and waste

disposal, reforestation/forest guard among

others.

He said that under the Skills for Job (S4J)

component of the YESSO programme, some

unemployed youth in Lokoja local

government area have been engaged as pilot

project.