From Esther Akaa, Lafia
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has reiterated his administration commitment to equipping youths with entrepreneurship skills that will enable them become useful in the society.
Governor Sule stated this on Tuesday while declaring open a three week training on Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme organised for selected youths across the state held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State Capital.
According to him, government was working out modalities to establish an institute for basic training for graduates to enable them become marketable in the society.
He further said that his administration would continue to empower youths through adequate training in the area of skills acquisition that will encourage job creation as well as make the youths to become business ownership, assuring that he will ensure that opportunities are given to youths on merit and not through religion or ethnic affiliations.
“This programme is aimed at making the youths to become employed and also as employers of labour through skills acquisition which is what this administration is taking seriously.
“We will establish an institute where people with certain educational qualifications such as Diploma, HND, BSC can come and be trained to hopefully become employable as well as become employers of labour. The programme will involve Information and Communication Technology ( I.CT.),” Governor Sule said.
He congratulated participants selected for the training and charged them to utilise the opportunity given to them for the growth and development of the state.
Also speaking, the Head / Director of Poise Graduate Finishing Academy , Innih Ikhide noted that the world was fast evolving with technologies spreading across various fields , stressing the need for skills acquisition especially among young people.
Mr. Ikhide revealed that his company has trained and empowered over 44, 000 youths in Lagos and Edo states as well as all over the country and connected them to good job opportunities.
“Our focus is to equip young people with 21st century with entrepreneurship skills training such as problem solving, ethics, ICT skills business qualifications on how to set and finance a business as well as how to run a business successfully among others.
“In Nasarawa state , the aim is to bridge the gap between the knowledge obtained from the University and the demands from the work place,” he said.
He acknowledged the efforts of Governor Sule’s administration in ensuring that the youths in the state are empowered with the right skills which will help them become the boss of their own.
On her part, Work in Progress, Project Officer, OXFAM, Chinonso Onwunali
Said the youth driven project was implemented by OXFAM Nigeria to build an economic prospects across the country.
She said the project which was implemented in Lagos State to support young people to acquire the skills they need to seek for jobs has been extended to cover other states of the federation.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor and Focal person, Human Capital Development in the state, Mrs Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, said the programme was hosted by the Nasarawa state government in collaboration with OXFARM Nigeria and Poise Graduate Finishing Academy Lagos as the development and implementing partners.
She said that 80 participants were selected from all 13 local government areas of the state, adding that the training would last for three weeks.
“Nasarawa State Human Capital Development office through its council under the chairmanship of the deputy governor of the state mandated to accelerate growth and development by the year 2030 and has adopted youths as one of its thematic areas.
“Now more than ever, it has become more important to us individually, collectively and as a government to provide avenues for such trainings that will increase the employability level of our teeming youths and better present them for the roles of sustaining our goals ,” she added.
