Lagos says holiday jobs for pupils cost N100m

MAY 7, 2015 : SESAN OLUFOWOBI
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The Lagos State Government says it spent N100m on payment of stipends to 5,000 fresh secondary school leavers employed for two months for the state government’s job initiative aimed at engaging some older pupils during the long holidays.

The Lagos State Head of Service, Mrs. Shade Jaji, said this during a press briefing on Tuesday in Alausa, Ikeja.

The initiative was tagged, ‘Vacation Job for Secondary School Leavers Programme.’

Jaji noted that the 5,000 vacation workers received N10,000 stipends for each of the two months they were engaged.

She said the initiative was meant to inculcate core values, such as dignity of labour and work ethics, in the pupils.

She said, “I am elated to place on record the Babatunde Fashola administration’s consistency with the Vacation Job for Secondary School Leavers Programme on annual basis. The office of the Head of Service, between the months of August and September 2014, engaged 5,000 secondary school leavers in the scheme.

“The vacation workers, who received monthly stipends of N10,000 each for the two months, were sent to MDAs, parastatals, local government and local council development areas in the state to experience what working life entails, and more importantly, to appreciate the dignity of labour and imbibe the core values and work ethics in the public service.

“Also, part of the programme is to ensure that youths were meaningfully engaged during the long holiday and were able to earn some income during the period.”

The Head of Service also said the Staff Housing Board, an arm of the Head of Service office, granted housing loans to the tune of N94, 341, 740.00 to civil servants in the state.

She said, “The Staff Housing Board has continued to, within available resources, satisfy the housing needs of workers, either through the granting of loan advances to staff for the purpose of purchasing land, building residential houses and renovating existing residential accommodation or through the allocation of available staff quarters.

“I, therefore, wish to inform you that between June 2014 and April 2015, the sum of N94, 341, 740 was disbursed to 551 officers as housing loan facilities.

“The office continued to maintain government staff quarters across the state. The quarters have gone a long way in alleviating accommodation problems of many deserving staff.”