FG to youths: Embrace skill acquisition to reduce unemployment

The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, on Thursday, called on youths in Nigeria to embrace the several skill acquisition programmes of the government so as to reduce restlessness and unemployment among them.

The Ministry disclosed that skill acquisition programme remained the only way planned by the Federal Government to pull 100 million Nigerians, mostly youths, out of poverty in the nation.

The Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, on Thursday, spoke at the graduation of trainees drawn from the agitated North-East zone of the nation at the PAN Learning Centre, Kaduna.

Farouk also maintained that the government alone could not provide the populous youths in Nigeria with the required white-collar jobs.

No less than 150 youths were drawn from the six states in the North-East; Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi; who had over the years been attacked by the deadly activities of the Boko Haram insurgents, for the programme.

Meanwhile, out of the 150 youths engaged in the programme, 76 graduated. The youths were trained in automobile repairs and were sponsored by the North-East Development Commission.

They had three months of thorough training in several fields such as welding and fabrication, spraying and painting, vehicle maintenance, air conditioner maintenance and also tyre and wheel balance.

Represented by her Technical Adviser in North-East, Sadeeq Shehu, the Minister was delighted over the graduation and lauded the North-East Development Commission for the initiative to train the youths in the automobile sector.

She also advised the youths to make good use of the skills acquired during the training so as to impact positively on other jobless youths in the region.

Shehu said, “First, she extends her congratulations to the graduands who have successfully followed the course of training which intended to upscale them to a good start in life. On behalf of the Minister, I will enjoin you to please put this skill into use.

“There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is a country blessed with a large population, majority who are youths. The reality is that government cannot give every youth work. So, the best the government can do and an agency like North-East Development Commission is to make sure you are put in a position.

“While some will get government jobs, majority will have to go into private enterprise to ensure that they don’t only employ themselves but become generators of employment. That’s the reality of the situation.

“So, on that note, I must extend the appreciation of the honourable minister to NEDC for this laudable venture which thrives on the Federal Government plan to lift 100 million people out of poverty.”