By Goodluck Ikiebe.
The Nigerian Government has concluded a two- week National Skills Development Training for Youth Living with Disabilities as well as Scale-Up Training for Vulnerable Youth Entrepreneurs across the 36 States of the Federation including the FCT.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare stated that the training was part of the efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari led-Administration towards empowering the teeming Nigerian youths, especially those who are vulnerable and living with disabilities to be entrepreneurial, self-reliant and employable.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the programme held at the National Youth Development Centre, Odeomu, Osun State, the Minister enjoined participants to take advantage of the opportunity granted them by the Federal Government to ensure financial literacy, start and manage their own businesses as well as ensure self-reliance.
Represented by the Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department (EYD) of the Ministry, Mr Momoh Olugbenga, Dare said that the two-week training was aimed at equipping the youth with requisite vocational skills to enable them harness the comparative advantage the country has in abundant vocational skills so as to foster the creation of wealth through acquisition of vocational skills, reduce youth unemployment, restiveness and enhance youth participation in profitable vocational businesses and skills.
“The training programme we are closing today is designed to equip the youth and build their capacity in leather works, confectionaries, photographic skills and entrepreneurship knowledge that will make them productively engaged, thereby reducing poverty and creating an economically empowered youth population that can contribute meaningfully to national growth and development”, Dare said.
He added that the empowerment programme which is only designed for unemployed youth both male and female within the ages of 15 – 29, aims at achieving the national goal of wealth creation and employment generation which cannot be attained through the very few white collar jobs.
The Minister explained that equipping the youth in such specialised skills will unarguably not only give the country a comparative advantage but also improve material and human resources for economic growth of the country.
Dare, while presentating starter parks ranging from Tool Box and Shoe making machines, two in one Digital cameras, among other items to the participants, called for synergy between relevant stakeholders and lovers of youths to harness their potentials, mobilise their energies, talents, competencies, visions and creativity for the socio-economic growth and development of the country.
Earlier in his remarks, the Osun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Yemi Lawal, described the vocational skills training organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development as a one stop shop initiative of the Federal Government that must be commended.
The Commissioner who was represented by Mrs Caroline Olagunju, urged the youth to shun the craze for quick money but ensure that the skills acquired are put into maximum utilization for the socio-economic growth of the nation.
Responding, one of the participants, Clark Mercy Kassy, appreciated the effort of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and President Muhammadu Buhari in particular, for ensuring that youths, who are vulnerable and living with disabilities are adequately trained in vocational skills for sustainable livelihood and job creation.
She assured that participants will bring the skills acquired at the training to bear not only for self-reliance but also for the growth and development of the country.
