FG urges youths to embrace skill acquisition
The Federal Government, on Thursday, urged youths in Nigeria to embrace the various skill acquisition programmes of the government to reduce restiveness and unemployment among them.
The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, disclosed this at the graduation of trainees drawn from the restive North-East zone of the country at the PAN Learning Centre, Kaduna on Thursday.
She noted that the development remained the only way designed by the Federal Government to pull 100 million Nigerians, mostly youths, out of poverty in the country.
She also insisted that the government alone could not provide the teeming Nigerian youths with the needed white-collar jobs.
No fewer than 150 youths were drawn from the six states in the North-East – Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi – who had over the years been ravaged by the deadly activities of the Boko Haram insurgents, for the programme
However, out of the 150 youths signed for the programme, 76 graduated. The youths were trained in automobile repairs and were sponsored by the North-East Development Commission.
They had three months of rigorous training in various fields such as welding and fabrication, spraying and painting, vehicle maintenance, air conditioner maintenance as well tyre and wheel balance.
Represented by her Technical Adviser in North-East, Grp. Capt Sadeeq Shehu(retd.), the minister expressed delight over the graduation and commended the North-East Development Commission for the initiative to train the youths in the automobile sector.
She also urged the youths to make good use of the skills acquired during the training to positively impact other unemployed youths in the zone.
Shehu said, “First, she extends her congratulations to the graduands who have successfully followed the course of training which intended to upscale them to a good start in life. On behalf of the Minister, I will enjoin you to please put this skill into use.
“There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is a country blessed with a large population, majority who are youths. The reality is that government cannot give every youth work. So, the best the government can do and an agency like North-East Development Commission is to make sure you are put in a position.
“While some will get government jobs, the majority will have to go into private enterprise to ensure that they don’t only employ themselves but become generators of employment. That’s the reality of the situation.
“So, on that note, I must extend the appreciation of the honourable minister to NEDC for this laudable venture which thrives on the Federal Government plan to lift 100 million people out of poverty.”
