FG partners Ogun on youth empowerment, disburses N50.4m to 336 trainees

As a follow-up to the Federal Government Economic Agenda centred on poverty alleviation, reduction of unemployment rate and wealth creation, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in partnership with Ogun State government has conducted a two-week agro-allied training and empowerment for 336 youths cut across the 36 states of the country.

The two-week agro-allied training and empowerment programme conducted for the youths at the Ogun State-owned Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute, Oni in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, focused on skills acquisition, including quail/poultry, fishery, apiary, snail and grass cutter raising and rabittry, and distribution of N150,000 start-up fund to each trainee.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the agro-allied training and empowerment programme, Bolaji Abdullahi, the supervising minister of youth development, disclosed that the ministry had trained and empowered over 7,000 Nigerian youths so far in various trades and vocations across the country as part of its effort to alleviate poverty and create jobs.

The minister, who was represented by Lucas Mangset, director, enterprise development and promotion department, said the ministry focused on agro-allied training to woo youths towards agricultural revival in accordance with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA), adding that onward involvement of the trainees in the agric sector would boost agric production.

Also speaking, Abiodun Anibaba, a woman director of vocational training who conducted the training in collaboration with Adeyemi Olabode, rector, Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute (GIPI), stated that though government had trained and empowered the youths with skills acquisition and start-up capital, it would not stop monitoring the progress of its investment.

She said: “Experience has shown that many people want to have the share of the so-called national cake, and not to really work with the fund. We are planning a monitoring and evaluation programme so that the youths will not misuse the fund given to them at the end of the programme. This will help identify those that are industrious and serious in order to further help them.”

The rector of the institute revealed government’s intention to upgrade and improve on the facilities on ground at the institute in order to expand the scope of its training and skills acquisition that would not only help Ogun State in meeting UN Declaration on unemployment rate reduction by 2015, but would also help the whole country in poverty alleviation, wealth creation, capacity building and jobs creation.

Meanwhile, when BusinessDay spoke withsome beneficiaries, including Adeyinka Adeneye from Lagos State and Oluchi Igbokwe from Imo State, they expressed satisfaction with the programme. While Adeneye commended government for its effort in unemployment and poverty reduction in the country, Igbokwe thanked government for giving her means of livelihood, saying: “I will love to invest in fishery, which I understand best.”

By: RAZAQ AYINLA