The federal government will hire 350,000 more unemployed graduates under the N-Power Volunteer Corps Scheme.

Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, stated yesterday that the government had requested N157.75 billion in the 2017 budget estimates for the scheme.

Akande said part of the fund would be spent on the recruitment and training of 350,000 graduates and 50,000 non-graduates youths to be engaged as artisans.

He said N4.5bn had been earmarked for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programme to support young Nigerians in building skills in those disciplines.

He said about N75bn had also been allocated for the home-grown school feeding programme that will provide one meal a day to five million primary school pupils.

He said N112.2 billion had been voted for the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) which would provide interest-free loans to 1.2 million market men and women, traders, artisans, youths and farmers.

According to him, beneficiaries will receive between N10,000 and N100,000 loan each with a one-time five percent administrative fee.

Akande stated: “Already, under the 2016 budget, over 20,000 Nigerians in about 14 states and counting have been benefiting from GEEP.

Daily Trust