The LEADERSHIP Group Limited’s initiative to lift two million indigent Nigerians out of poverty through entrepreneurial and skill acquisition training has drawn commendation from Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.
Speaking while hosting a team from the organisation led by the vice chairman, Mr. Mike Okpere, at the Government House in Lafia, Governor Sule described the initiative as innovative and futuristic.
He said the initiative aligned with his administration’s youth empowerment agenda through entrepreneurial and skill development.
“I have a dream of a state that is self-reliant and independent enough to finance its operation outside the usual allocation from the federation account. I am not saying we don’t want allocation from the federation account, but I don’t want us to depend on anything. And that is the same habit we are inculcating in our young population through skills that will ensure their independence,” he said.
Visibly excited by the initiative, Governor Sule declared his total support for it, saying, “You have already found a partner for the laudable project. I’m not only going to support it; I will talk to some people I know who equally share such aspirations.”
He noted that having education without skill is defective, stressing that anyone without the requisite skill will always find it difficult to function independently.
According to him, an individual can rise to stardom without acquiring a formal education as long as that person has skills.
Giving the example of the late former American President Abraham Lincoln, he opined that the former world leader never had any formal education.
“Abraham Lincoln never went to university; he never attended a formal school. His mother taught him, and when a journalist asked him about his level of education in a bid to ridicule him, he described education in one word – defective,” he stated.
The governor explained that to empower the state’s people to be self-reliant, he established the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Skills Centre, Lafia, the Leather Institute in Doma, and the Akwanga Institute.
He stated that many first-class graduates from Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and the Federal University of Lafia have benefited from the skill acquisition training and were given cash amounting to N500,000 and N1 million to set up their businesses, respectively.
He urged other corporate organisations in the country to follow the LEADERSHIP Group’s example by initiating various skill programmes to empower the youth and the vulnerable in society.
The governor used the opportunity to commiserate with the LEADERSHIP Group’s management on the demise of the media organisation’s founder, Mr Sam Nda-Isaiah, whom he described as a front-line journalist and fearless writer.
He commended the current management for building on the legacy put in place by the late Nda-Isaiah by making sure the organisation remained afloat many years after his death.
Governor Sule appreciated the company for the support it had been according to his administration from its inauguration in 2019 to date while urging it not to relent.
Introducing the initiative earlier, the executive vice chairman, LEADERSHIP Group, Mr Mike Okpere congratulated Governor Sule on his reelection even as he assured him of the readiness of the company to support him in ensuring that his goals and dreams for the people of Nasarawa State are achieved.
He said as part of its corporate social responsibility, the company came up with the lofty Idea of empowering and contributing to the economic well-being of Nigerians through the initiative.
“We believe this project will be of interest to your administration and the people of the state; that is why we are urging you to partner with us to achieve our objectives of lifting two million Nigerians out of poverty,” he said.
On his part, Mr Abdulrahaman Balogu, the project champion for the initiative, said the programme was designed to transform lives through a comprehensive five-module training programme.
The modules, he said, include entrepreneurial education, ICT for business, modern honey production, animal feed production, tie and dye and leather works.
He said at the end of the training, successful trainees will become entrepreneurs, employers of labour, trainers and influencers.
“This circle is expected to continue and grow from year to year thereby culminating in the generation of employment and engagement of two million persons over the next three to four years,” he explained.
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