Trainees shut down Bayelsa NDE office over unpaid stipends

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) skills acquisition trainees in Bayelsa State yesterday shut down the state office of the agency in protest of non-payment of their monthly stipends and failure of the state coordinator to release their starter packs to them three months into the training.

The protesters barred the staff of the office from carrying on with the day’s work for some hours.

Mr Torunana Bintari Frank who spoke on behalf of the angry trainees, said after spending so much from their pockets to travel to Yenagoa every day, the state office of NDE had not said anything about their monthly stipends which was agreed at the commencement of the training to be paid monthly.

He said, “From the starting of the training, promises were made to us that our monthly stipends would be given to us at the end of every month, then after the three months training, we will be given starter packs to start trade of our choice. But it appears that NDE officials in Bayelsa State are trying to mortgage the good intension of President Muhammadu Buhari who has approved this programme to get youths meaningfully engaged, and we in Bayelsa say no.”

The Bayelsa State Coordinator of the NDE, Napoleon Amachree told our reporter on phone that no trainee had been paid in the programme throughout the 36 states and the FCT.

“Nobody has been paid in the whole federation. They have not finished the training, they will be paid at the end of everything. Budget has not yet been released for the payment,” Amachree said.