One hundred and fifty youths have been trained in paint technology and cosmetology in Abia State through the sponsorship of Senator Austin Akobundu in collaboration with the Centre for Management Development, Abuja.
At the end of the five-day training/ workshop in Umuahia, the state capital, Akobundu, representing Abia Central district, presented the participants, who were drawn from the district with certificates and cash gifts.
In a speech, he said youths in the country must embrace skills that would transform them from job seekers to employers of labour to lead the country to join the league of advanced economies of the world.
“Some of you are university graduates, that’s fine. But, the most important thing for you now is to acquire skills that will make you self-reliant for your benefit and by extension that of the country.”
“It is no longer news that today’s Nigeria requires men and women who are not only properly skilled but are ready to use their skills to create wealth and also employ others,” the retired army colonel emphasised.
He further explained that his passion had been to ensure that youths in the district, which hosts the state capital, stand on their own as employers of labour rather than job seekers through such programmes.
“So far, I have sponsored nine empowerment/skill acquisition projects in the district less than one year after my inauguration last November following a rigorous court exercise after the general election.”
The minister of state for defence, who charged the participants not to abandon the skills acquired, assured them of his readiness to assist those who will make judicious use of the knowledge.
He lauded the organisers of the programme, which he said “is in tandem with my campaign promises to equip the youths with 21st-century skills for self-reliance and quelling harsh economic impact on them”, for their efforts.
Contributing, an assistant director at the centre, Shan Essien, underscored the need for skills acquisition among the growing population of youths in the country to enable them whether the storm of unemployment.
Similarly, the senator’s senior legislative aide, Stanley Nwabuisi, said the senator had set up a mechanism to monitor the participants’ post-training activities to ensure they put the skills into practice.
Responding on behalf of the participants, Ndubuisi Ugwunna thanked the senator for offering them the opportunity to be self-reliant and promised they would use the skills to turn their lives around.
