The chairman of Etsako East local government area of Edo State, Hon. Benedicta Attoh, at the weekend said human capital development remains her administration’s priority in fast tracking growth and development.
She said gone are the days when able-bodied youths in the council were loitering about without meaningful engagement, noting that the days of idleness, laziness and joblessness are over.
Attoh spoke when she visited Senator Francis Alimikhena’s Skill Acquisition Centre in Agenebode, Edo State to secure a deal for the centre to be officially handed over to the local government council to employ qualified professionals and take over the payment of workers who would be training Etsako East youths in different areas of endeavour.
She said, “It’s not just the mere existence of youths that makes the difference in society but their vocation and passion to key into government’s poverty alleviation programmes through skills acquisition in computer studies, tailoring, shoe making, palm oil production and others rather than charity which she described as a poverty trap.
Drawing examples from other nations, the first female Edo North chairman said; “Jordan is a small country not well endowed with natural resources but with better qualified human resource capabilities among her peers in the region.
“Through developing their human resource they develop their nation. One thing that has never failed any nation is human resource capacity. China did the same. We have therefore decided to cure idleness, laziness, and joblessness in Etsako East local government by ensuring that every youth has one or two skills that can enhance the service sector to build our local economy.”
Insufficiency in the service sector, she said, leads to decline in internally generated revenue and weighs down an entire economy by retarding development.
“That is what has held Etsako East in bondage in the past years but we are breaking out now. We want to encourage Etsako East youths to acquire skills right from secondary school.
“Today, when you are looking for artisans to do plumbing work, roofing, POP, you have to travel out of the local government to get them. If you want to register a SIM card you have to go to Auchi, for mere repair and replacement of phone screens, electrical services and other artisans services you have to import the people to Etsako East.
“We can build our little London within ourselves by developing our people and equipping them to establish within the council area to reinvigorate economic activities. That is my mission in this place today.”
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