By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Benue Investment and Property Company, BIPC has disclosed that it would launch Benue Palm Oil and one of the biggest bread factory in the state around March this year as part of its short term business programme to improve the living standard of the people.
Managing Director of the company, Raymond Asemakaha, who made the disclosure during an interaction with journalists in Makurdi, said the move is to take off the street about 4.8 million Benue indigenes mostly youths who are graduates from universities, colleges of education and polytechnics.
He expressed worry that youths of between 18 and above years who by international labour laws are rated as adults would not be gainfully employed, describing the scenario as the cause of insecurity in the state and stressed that the BIPC under his watch would encourage young graduates to also key into the programme.
He noted with displeasure that what has worsened unemployment in the state was the non-existence of private companies with the capacity to employ young people of about 100 at a stretch, pointing out that BIPC plans to encourage people interested in starting businesses with small capital rather than those looking for millions to help government remove a huge population of people especially youths out there on the streets.
The BIPC boss recalled that since he came on board, having discovered that the state does not have the capacity to return cash despite its 5.8 billion GDP, because of lack of producing companies that make cash flow possible, BIPC under his watch resolved and made a deliberate choice of the two products.