Concerned youths in Bayelsa State, yesterday, commended the national leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for annulling the party’s primary, held on Tuesday.
The youths, under the auspices of Bayelsa Youth and Student Volunteers for Progressive Change (BYSVPC), also hailed Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and the electoral committee for rising above intimidation to insist that the right thing must be done.
The BYSVPC, in a communique issued on Thursday and signed by the National Coordinator, Ayere Egbetein, Secretary, B.J. John and Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Okwa, said that the purported primary, where former Governor Timipre Sylva emerged as candidate was a sham and fraudulent.
The group said the cancellation was a good development for the APC.
It condemned the intimidation and assaults on delegates and persons said to be loyal to former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chief Timi Alaibe, at the venue of the bungled primary.
It recommended to the national leadership of the APC that the rescheduled primary be moved to a neutral ground outside Bayelsa State to forestall any possible breakdown of law and order.
“We suggest that the rescheduled primary election be moved to a neutral ground outside the state. This will ensure safety and bring about credible elections.
“The party should work out a more credible process of accreditation of authentic delegates, and where possible, should collaborate with the Independent National Electoral Commission to deploy more of its staff on identification of cloned PVCs to avoid impersonation and pseudo delegates who are only engaged to thwart the good reputation of the party.”
Similarly, some of the governorship aspirants in the botched primary yesterday hailed the decision of the national leadership of the party to cancel the primary election.
The aspirants said the body language of the party on due process had boosted their confidence in the APC, while at the same time confirming that no single man’s ambition was greater than the founding principles of the party.
They also advised the party to ensure that proper security was put in place before conducting a fresh primary to forestall breakdown of law and order.
One of the aspirants and former Chief of Staff, Chief Diekivie Ikiogha, applauded the cancellation of the exercise, which he described as a charade.
A youth oriented non-governmental organisation, World Changers International is set to host a leadership summit alongside a concert to foster synergy among the Nigerian youths both home and abroad.
The programme announced during a press briefing in Lagos is tagged ‘Celebrating Nigeria at 55’ with the theme: The role of the youth in diaspora in national development’.
The two-day event which is scheduled for October 8th and 9th 2015 will hold at the London Metropolitan University, London.
Speakers at the conference include eminent African leaders, businessmen, policy makers and top government functionaries.
The programme will also feature top Nigerian entertainers who have made global impact.
Speaking at the press conference, the President of the Coalition, Tim Ayoola Abiodun said it was difficult to get Nigerians in Diasporas to be part of the project.
“Nigerians in Diasporas have associated themselves with the negative aspect of our dear nation. They don’t believe if anything good has ever come out of this country and they tend not to know.
“They’ve familiarized themselves with what the international broadcasting stations are bringing to their screen on daily basis, which is the insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.
Ayoola explained that the programme is aimed at presenting the positive aspect of Nigeria nationwide and bring a positive reflection of Nigeria change era to the limelight.
He said it is also important that youth inclusion in governance is not neglected.
According to the Country coordinator, Eve Nnaji, people abroad ask questions that are somewhat ridiculous as regards Nigeria in particular.
“My friends, my mate ask me questions during my stay in America; like do we have cars? Do we have microwaves? Do we have shoes? Were you guys naked? These questions followed me through the college and they are just ridiculous.”
In the quest to influence youths to the Nigeria change era, Eve said the initiative finds it imperative to involve some top Nigerian entertainers who have made a global impact.
The Concert Producer, Anthony Dike said the concert aims at encouraging Nigerians using their talents abroad to bring in their craft and contribute to the Nigerian industry.
“They may think we don’t have structure, but there are at least structures that can juxtapose your career.”
According to Anthony, 9ice has confirmed coming for the event but he was not sure about 2Face’s participation.
Members of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Community Development Service
(CDS) group of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Lagos have held a sensitisation rally to educate the public on the dangers of hard drugs.
The event , which was held in Ojota, had the objective to create awareness on the consequence of intake of hard drugs and how it affects body system.
The procession took off at New Garage Bus Stop. The Corps members moved round the streets and main road, talking to the youth and commercial drivers. The use of hard drugs, the admonished, endangers lives and wellbeing. The Corps members ended the rally at Ojota Bus Stop.
Maureen Achugbu, a member of the CDS group, said some youths promised to change during the rally. She said: “We met some youths, who confessed to be using hard drugs and they promised to change after we educated them on the danger such conduct portends for their lives.”
President of the CDS group, Olaitan Ogunwande, said: “Our aim is to sensitise Lagosians on the harmful effects of drug abuse. We have achieved some level of success but we hope to organise more sensitisation rallies in other cities, so that youths will drop the habit.”
He said group had held rallies in areas, such as Surulere and Ojuelegba, adding that the Corps members intend to hold similar event in Mosun Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Ipaja.
The Lagos commander of NDLEA, Mr Aliyu Sule, who was represented by a principal staff officer in Drug Demand Reduction Unit, Mrs Titilayo Ogunluyi, hailed the Corps members for the event, saying it would complement the agency’s effort to reach out to the public in eradicating use of harmful drugs.
For the over 4,000 prospective entrepreneurs and career seekers, who attended the Sterling Bank’s Get Ready for Work initiative, in Lagos, the chances of either starting new businesses or securing choice jobs look promising. The event was an opportunity for the lender to deepen its retail banking segment among youths, support those seeking capital and knowledge and those who want to start new businesses, reports COLLINS NWEZE.
Entrepreneurship is the soul of every thriving economy and so is a productive workforce.
Sterling Bank’s Get Ready for Work initiative held in Lagos at the weekend broadened the opportunity for young entrepreneurs and job seekers to achieve their life ambitions.
The event, with the theme “Mind The Gap” was organised to help participants understand what they need to make it in life, whether in businesses or paid employment.
The event, part of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, was supported by online job portal, Jobberman and skills development centre, Field of Skills and Dream. It empowered over 4,000 graduates with employable and entrepreneurship skills.
The event presented a platform for the bank to bridge the financial exclusion gap as its staff also encouraged participants to open accounts with the bank and enjoy the benefits. For instance, as fallout of last year’s programme, the bank gave grants to those who have started their businesses. Four beneficiaries got N2.5 million, N1.5 million, N1 million and N500,000. The gesture is expected to be repeated this year.
The bank has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to promoting retail banking which allows it to provide banking services to individual consumers. Such services include savings and transactional accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit cards, and credit cards, among others.
This year’s events also witnessed a psychoanalysis session where the participants had their personalities analysed by an expert to determine what career path would be most suitable for them. It also featured speeches from successful career people on how to tread successfully on whatever career path one may choose.
Chief Executive Officer, Wakanow, Obinna Okezie, urged the participants to be hard working. He said: “We started with nothing, but today, we employ over 500 people in our five years of operation. That is why it is important for you all to pursue your ideas and turn them to reality.’’
Executive Director, Field of Skills and Dreams VTE Academy (FSD) Omowale Ogunrinde, commended Sterling Bank for investing in the future of youths in country through the initiative.
According to her, the bank was responsible for organisations like hers agreeing to take part in the programme without charging participants professional fees. She said her firm is doing everything possible to get more Nigerians prepared to become better entrepreneurs. He said the FSD has in recent years, equipped the youths with entrepreneurial skills that enabled them to start their own businesses. “We are helping to build enduring entrepreneurs. This can only be achieved through training and commitment from organisations as Sterling Bank is doing,” she said.
Sterling Bank’s Executive Director, Finance & Strategy, Abubakar Suleiman, said apart from getting the youth ready to pursue their career choices and helping them acquire the required skills, the lender will also through the programme, reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
Suleiman, who spoke at the pre-event briefing held in Lagos, said: ‘Get Ready For Work’, now in its third year, is the bank’s way of giving back to the society and equipping the youths with the right skills to succeed in their jobs.
He also said the lender is considering extending its “Get Ready For Work”initiative to more states of the Federation and encouraged other banks to join in the project.
He said the lender was committed to helping to reduce the high level of youth unemployment in the country, pointing out that there would be serious consequences for the society if the problem is not addressed.
According to him: “There is no country in the world that would not be affected by a high level of youth unemployment. Once youth employment stands above 25 per cent in any country, such country is heading for chaos.”
He noted that the problem of youth unemployment in the country had been made worse by the fact that what students are taught in schools these days often leaves them ill-equipped to handle simple tasks when they eventually secure employment.
Speaking to reporters during the training, Sterling Bank’s Head of Strategy and Communications, Shina Atilola, said the initiative was part of the bank’s efforts at addressing the paucity of skills in the labour market.
He said: “We discovered that when you analyse the Nigerian labour market there is disconnect between the demand and supply. Most of the jobs that are available, most people are not qualified for them. But this is because our institutions are not prepared to take them into the employment system. We also initiated this programme because we realised that some people are qualified but are not employable. This is because, there is no institutional structure to train them and prepare them for a work environment.
“These are the reasons Sterling Bank started this ‘Get ready for work’ initiative. We have brought successful entrepreneurs to come mentor these young people. Beyond that, some people that are just willing to work in career employment, we have also brought in people that have made impact and are successful in their careers to come and teach them how they succeeded in it. We also have brought in human resources agencies to teach them how to best market themselves.”
He also said this seminar had over 3,000 people registered, saying that over 4,000 were present. This, according to him was a clear indication that there are a lot of willing applicants with no jobs. Also he added that some applicants would be divided into master classes with seasoned Entrepreneurs, high flying career individuals.
Life coach/psychoanalyst, Jerome Onipede engaged entrepreneurs in a master class on what it takes to develop a business and make it in the cut-throat environment like Nigeria. Another class was also organised for career focused individuals to learn how to become employees of value in any organisation of their choice. The event gave participants the opportunity to interact with human resource representatives of various organisations and undergo on-the-spot testing with a view of securing jobs.
Olise-Emeka Nwachukwu, Consultant at Human Capacity Development Consultants, said Sterling Bank is trying to bridge the gap between competencies in terms of employment and entrepreneurship in the market.
“We have a large number of young people who leave school, and need to take step one to become skilled, in terms of ready to work environment.
They also need to know how to set up their business. People do not have the right attitude to work, they do not have the right skills to take the available jobs. The schools only give them theory about the knowledge of the job.
It is about people understanding the competencies that are required to be good performers. “What Sterling Bank has done is to bring these young people together and get experts in different fields to talk to them. And they also give them the opportunity to drop their resume with human resources firms that are here,” he said.
He said his firm helps orgnaisations to develop their staff to optimum levels. “All the collected resumes will be uploaded to our database, and we will match them with employers. Getting a job is a prerogative of the staff. There are few experienced people also, and we are looking at ways to support them. I am looking at theirs skills and experiences, which help us profile the candidates and match them with available roles,” he said.
Nwachukwu said the company also looks at candidates achievements over time, because that could explain that if you have been doing this, there will be possibility that you will do well.
Continuing, he said that it is not everyone that really needs to get a job as a good number are better off with entrepreneurship. “People have to understand that it is not just about getting a job but people can go into entrepreneurship, focusing on everyday needs of the people and they will make their money because people spend so much money on their everyday needs. Young people need to understand their skills, develop them and transform them into money making ventures rather than just looking for job,” he said.
He said the company’s Productivity Plus, looks at people’s lives and train them on how to become successful. “We set your financial goals, academic goals, careers goals and emotional goals and put a system that will help you to achieve those goals. Some of the candidates have been contacted, and will be given direction on the next phase of their lives,” he said.
A Human Resources Officer, H. Pierson, Tom Onoja, said his team had been able to interview 10 candidates, who would progress to the next phase of their career.
“We are helping people that are looking for job find the right employers. We already have 10 people we are trying to get job for in line with our goal of assisting the bank to achieve their goals. We will keep talking to all the people that are qualified, and they will all be contacted,” he said.
A participant, Godwin Nwachukwu, who graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka said his expectations were met at the event. He said his details are already with the human resource mangers from the event, who he believed will contact him later on. “I am confident that I will be contacted. And besides, what I have learnt is enough to enable be start my own business,” he said.
Managing Partner, Red Media Africa, Chude Jideonwo, said: “We would share skills and knowledge that can help them as they get into the work space because there are so many young unemployed people.”
Partnership with FSD
Sterling Bank Plc has signed an agreement with Field of Skills and Dreams (FSD), a vocational training institution, to provide training programmes for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The pact, the bank said, is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive to support skill acquisition among youths to prepare them for self-employment.
Under the agreement, the bank will sponsor the training of NYSC corps members in various vocations during the course of their service year in alignment with its expressed purpose of enriching lives. The lender has so far funded the training of about 100 NYSC members in various vocations during the pilot stage through the NYSC-SAED (Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development.
For the over 4,000 prospective entrepreneurs and career seekers, who attended the Sterling Bank’s Get Ready for Work initiative, in Lagos, the chances of either starting new businesses or securing choice jobs look promising. The event was an opportunity for the lender to deepen its retail banking segment among youths, support those seeking capital and knowledge and those who want to start new businesses, reports COLLINS NWEZE.
Entrepreneurship is the soul of every thriving economy and so is a productive workforce.
Sterling Bank’s Get Ready for Work initiative held in Lagos at the weekend broadened the opportunity for young entrepreneurs and job seekers to achieve their life ambitions.
The event, with the theme “Mind The Gap” was organised to help participants understand what they need to make it in life, whether in businesses or paid employment.
The event, part of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, was supported by online job portal, Jobberman and skills development centre, Field of Skills and Dream. It empowered over 4,000 graduates with employable and entrepreneurship skills.
The event presented a platform for the bank to bridge the financial exclusion gap as its staff also encouraged participants to open accounts with the bank and enjoy the benefits. For instance, as fallout of last year’s programme, the bank gave grants to those who have started their businesses. Four beneficiaries got N2.5 million, N1.5 million, N1 million and N500,000. The gesture is expected to be repeated this year.
The bank has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to promoting retail banking which allows it to provide banking services to individual consumers. Such services include savings and transactional accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit cards, and credit cards, among others.
This year’s events also witnessed a psychoanalysis session where the participants had their personalities analysed by an expert to determine what career path would be most suitable for them. It also featured speeches from successful career people on how to tread successfully on whatever career path one may choose.
Chief Executive Officer, Wakanow, Obinna Okezie, urged the participants to be hard working. He said: “We started with nothing, but today, we employ over 500 people in our five years of operation. That is why it is important for you all to pursue your ideas and turn them to reality.’’
Executive Director, Field of Skills and Dreams VTE Academy (FSD) Omowale Ogunrinde, commended Sterling Bank for investing in the future of youths in country through the initiative.
According to her, the bank was responsible for organisations like hers agreeing to take part in the programme without charging participants professional fees. She said her firm is doing everything possible to get more Nigerians prepared to become better entrepreneurs. He said the FSD has in recent years, equipped the youths with entrepreneurial skills that enabled them to start their own businesses. “We are helping to build enduring entrepreneurs. This can only be achieved through training and commitment from organisations as Sterling Bank is doing,” she said.
Sterling Bank’s Executive Director, Finance & Strategy, Abubakar Suleiman, said apart from getting the youth ready to pursue their career choices and helping them acquire the required skills, the lender will also through the programme, reduce the unemployment rate in the country.
Suleiman, who spoke at the pre-event briefing held in Lagos, said: ‘Get Ready For Work’, now in its third year, is the bank’s way of giving back to the society and equipping the youths with the right skills to succeed in their jobs.
He also said the lender is considering extending its “Get Ready For Work”initiative to more states of the Federation and encouraged other banks to join in the project.
He said the lender was committed to helping to reduce the high level of youth unemployment in the country, pointing out that there would be serious consequences for the society if the problem is not addressed.
According to him: “There is no country in the world that would not be affected by a high level of youth unemployment. Once youth employment stands above 25 per cent in any country, such country is heading for chaos.”
He noted that the problem of youth unemployment in the country had been made worse by the fact that what students are taught in schools these days often leaves them ill-equipped to handle simple tasks when they eventually secure employment.
Speaking to reporters during the training, Sterling Bank’s Head of Strategy and Communications, Shina Atilola, said the initiative was part of the bank’s efforts at addressing the paucity of skills in the labour market.
He said: “We discovered that when you analyse the Nigerian labour market there is disconnect between the demand and supply. Most of the jobs that are available, most people are not qualified for them. But this is because our institutions are not prepared to take them into the employment system. We also initiated this programme because we realised that some people are qualified but are not employable. This is because, there is no institutional structure to train them and prepare them for a work environment.
“These are the reasons Sterling Bank started this ‘Get ready for work’ initiative. We have brought successful entrepreneurs to come mentor these young people. Beyond that, some people that are just willing to work in career employment, we have also brought in people that have made impact and are successful in their careers to come and teach them how they succeeded in it. We also have brought in human resources agencies to teach them how to best market themselves.”
He also said this seminar had over 3,000 people registered, saying that over 4,000 were present. This, according to him was a clear indication that there are a lot of willing applicants with no jobs. Also he added that some applicants would be divided into master classes with seasoned Entrepreneurs, high flying career individuals.
Life coach/psychoanalyst, Jerome Onipede engaged entrepreneurs in a master class on what it takes to develop a business and make it in the cut-throat environment like Nigeria. Another class was also organised for career focused individuals to learn how to become employees of value in any organisation of their choice. The event gave participants the opportunity to interact with human resource representatives of various organisations and undergo on-the-spot testing with a view of securing jobs.
Olise-Emeka Nwachukwu
Olise-Emeka Nwachukwu, Consultant at Human Capacity Development Consultants, said Sterling Bank is trying to bridge the gap between competencies in terms of employment and entrepreneurship in the market.
“We have a large number of young people who leave school, and need to take step one to become skilled, in terms of ready to work environment.
They also need to know how to set up their business. People do not have the right attitude to work, they do not have the right skills to take the available jobs. The schools only give them theory about the knowledge of the job.
It is about people understanding the competencies that are required to be good performers. “What Sterling Bank has done is to bring these young people together and get experts in different fields to talk to them. And they also give them the opportunity to drop their resume with human resources firms that are here,” he said.
He said his firm helps orgnaisations to develop their staff to optimum levels. “All the collected resumes will be uploaded to our database, and we will match them with employers. Getting a job is a prerogative of the staff. There are few experienced people also, and we are looking at ways to support them. I am looking at theirs skills and experiences, which help us profile the candidates and match them with available roles,” he said.
Nwachukwu said the company also looks at candidates achievements over time, because that could explain that if you have been doing this, there will be possibility that you will do well.
Continuing, he said that it is not everyone that really needs to get a job as a good number are better off with entrepreneurship. “People have to understand that it is not just about getting a job but people can go into entrepreneurship, focusing on everyday needs of the people and they will make their money because people spend so much money on their everyday needs. Young people need to understand their skills, develop them and transform them into money making ventures rather than just looking for job,” he said.
He said the company’s Productivity Plus, looks at people’s lives and train them on how to become successful. “We set your financial goals, academic goals, careers goals and emotional goals and put a system that will help you to achieve those goals. Some of the candidates have been contacted, and will be given direction on the next phase of their lives,” he said.
A Human Resources Officer, H. Pierson, Tom Onoja, said his team had been able to interview 10 candidates, who would progress to the next phase of their career.
“We are helping people that are looking for job find the right employers. We already have 10 people we are trying to get job for in line with our goal of assisting the bank to achieve their goals. We will keep talking to all the people that are qualified, and they will all be contacted,” he said.
A participant, Godwin Nwachukwu, who graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka said his expectations were met at the event. He said his details are already with the human resource mangers from the event, who he believed will contact him later on. “I am confident that I will be contacted. And besides, what I have learnt is enough to enable be start my own business,” he said.
Managing Partner, Red Media Africa, Chude Jideonwo, said: “We would share skills and knowledge that can help them as they get into the work space because there are so many young unemployed people.”
Partnership with FSD
Sterling Bank Plc has signed an agreement with Field of Skills and Dreams (FSD), a vocational training institution, to provide training programmes for members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The pact, the bank said, is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive to support skill acquisition among youths to prepare them for self-employment.
Under the agreement, the bank will sponsor the training of NYSC corps members in various vocations during the course of their service year in alignment with its expressed purpose of enriching lives. The lender has so far funded the training of about 100 NYSC members in various vocations during the pilot stage through the NYSC-SAED (Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development.
It has also equipped a 20-seat ICT laboratory of the FSD which will provide all participants with rotational access to free ICT training.
Sterling Bank in a statement explained that the need to support the development of skills among the youth has become inevitable given the growing rate of unemployment in the country. “We believe that the steps we have taken so far would help in ameliorating the problem of unemployment in the country and support other initiatives such as the Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) and the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YOU-WIN) introduced by the government to checkmate the relatively high rate of unemployment in the country.”
Social lender scheme
In its determination to keep supporting the youthful population, Sterling Bank has repackaged the Social Lender Scheme by increasing the minimum on-line micro credit from N3,000 to N10,000.
The scheme was launched last year and the bank has disbursed over N6 million to over 2000 on-line customers. To date, over 90 per cent of the loans have been paid back by the beneficiaries.
Social Lender; the first in Nigeria is a modified peer to peer lending solution using the Social Media Platforms through which micro-credit is offered to members of these communities. The scheme provides a platform for online fans and followers who are customers of Sterling Bank to obtain these monies via social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter.
The bank in a statement explained that the scheme was repackaged with added benefits because of its success story for the bank, the quality of feedback from members of the on-line community and the impressive pay back attitude of the beneficiaries.
SIR: The Nigerian youth is socially amputated at many levels by the devious objectives of a clandestine government who has no plan for the growing population. At another end, he creates some of his problems as he directs his energies to unproductive ventures like restiveness, hooliganism, cultism and stealing.
One of the burdens of the youths of this generation is the passive attention they pay to the workings of governance, economic theories, national income and budget system. The Nigerian youth is buried in sports and entertainment. He knows everything about the football clubs in the world and what they are worth financially but doesn’t understand the importance of the nation’s GDP. He is usually at a loss when he listens to the Minister of Finance reeling out tools for economic analysis. It is difficult for the average Nigerian youth to question their leaders because their knowledge of the working of government is shallow.
It is this failing that makes the youth easy tools for the political class to use. They use them for political thuggery and the females are constantly dragged in for sexual expeditions. It is truly a society that works against itself. The leaders whose responsibility is to protect the citizens have turned against the very ones they should care for. It is so because the youths have failed to question their leaders; they don’t have the courage to demand for justice. The youths will remain subservient to their leaders as long as they remain dormant in the face of extreme social injustice.
This generation of youths wants instant wealth and it really doesn’t matter how they get it. They had gone to school with the belief that life will show them the side of fortune. Now they are out of school only to discover that there are 18 generations of unemployed graduates in Nigeria struggling for job placement.
The Nigerian political leaders have long hijacked the political terrain and locked it against the youths but the youths are still told they are the leaders of tomorrow. It is this deceit and delusional practice that has made the youths to lose hope in the system. The desperate ones take to crime; like taking a sword against a sea of trouble. The very contented ones find themselves deluded, gasping for breath under the weight of poverty.
The state and federal government must collaborate to curb this social malady before it gets out of hand. Employment is the critical issue that must be tackled first. The youths must be gainfully employed to enable them get busy doing things that will enhance the image of the country.
Proper attention should be paid to the educational sector to bring about innovation in the system. No country can make any headway while its educational sector suffers setbacks of all sorts ranging from lack of funding to lack of qualified manpower.
Lastly, the youths must read to expand their intellectual horizon, develop strategies and ideas. The energy channeled towards football information should be spread across bigger economic and national concerns for the purposes of getting a grasp of the workings and distribution of economic resources. If their knowledge is sharpened on the proper functioning of government and the dynamics of policy making, they can raise requisitions and criticize government intelligently when government policies contravene the laws of the land. We must develop the strategies to achieve economic justice and expand the aspiration of nationhood.
The yearly United Nations International Youth Day aimed at sensitising and empowering youths has been commemorated in Lagos, with Closeup Naija Herbal, from Unilever Nigeria Plc as one of its sponsors.
This event, which held at University of Lagos, and was graced by dignitaries.
The participants were educated on the brand and its features: A brand made in Naija and for Naija with natural ingredients, such as Aloe Vera, and Mint which have anti-germ benefits and leaves your mouth herbal fresh all day, and Lemon extracts which gives you a shiny white smile needed to give the confidence to get closer.
The brand further engaged the youth at a vox-pop session that tested their knowledge on the brand as well as an on ground play of I Love Nigeria, a new TV game show, by Close-up, that tests knowledge of Naija languages, music, sports, history, great icons, popular culture and heritage through a series of fun and exciting games.
Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has identified lack of statistics and data base of unemployed youths in the state as one of the factors mitigating against effective job creation initiatives and past youth empowerment programmes in the state.
To address the challenge, the governor disclosed that the state government has launched a database of unemployed youths in the state through the job and wealth creation scheme, which promises to keep the youths off the streets.
He said the database would provide a steady feed of participants for the programme and also enable the government in planning for its future and those of the youths..
“By the next six months when the next phase begins, we will simply pull out the next set of participants from the database, so, there is opportunity for as many as are qualified to be enlisted in subsequent phases of the scheme.”
The governor spoke at the Songhai-Delta, Amukpe in Sapele Local Government Area of Delta State, on Wednesday, August 26, he flagged off the training of1,645 young men and women who were part of the agricultural programme of the state government.
The gathering included young school leavers, graduates and others who are among a batch of 6,000 youths targeted in one of the state government wealth creation programme tagged Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) and Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP).
The STEP and YAGEP are part of the programmes aimed at taking teeming youths off the street. It is also aimed at the fulfillment of the State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa campaign slogan tagged ‘Prosperity for all Deltans’.
The governor, while flagging of the programme, explained that the scheme was being executed in phases, adding that the introduction of the scheme has enabled the state government to develop a database of the unemployed in the State.
He explained that with the performance of the participants, who had been on a week-long orientation course, he was confident that the programme was headed in the right directions. He said all the programmes were strategically designed, stringently planned and specifically tailored to tackle the problem of youth unemployment and produce lasting and sustainable prosperity across in the state.
He said that his administration had adopted the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) model which is the best way to tackle youth unemployment, because job and wealth creation are the bedrock of his “S.M.A.R.T” agenda.
The Governor who was flanked by his deputy, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro,a lawyer, said that the Wednesday’s event is the latest part of his effort to bring prosperity to the state, industrialize it through the YAGEP and STEP initiative which was one of his electioneers promises to Deltans.
“Today’s event is undeniable proof that our administration’s S.M.A.R.T agenda is well and truly on course; it goes without saying that job and wealth creation are the bedrock of the S.M.A.R.T agenda, with YAGEP and STEP as the flagship programmes and other programmes under the Job and Wealth Creation Scheme are Production and Processing Support Programme (PPSP), Development of Agro-Industries, and Extension of Microcredit,” he added.
Speaking on the prospect of the scheme, Governor Okowa said that while previous programmes sought to prepare people for employment, the Job and Wealth Creation Scheme seeks to produce wealth creators and job creators adding that critical differences also exist in the selection and screening process, training approach, management system, and collaboration with the organised private sector”.
He maintained that the scheme is not the typical empowerment programme that is often cash based; “it is a wealth and job creation scheme, it is not about skills acquisition; it is about building a knowledge economy and the overarching goal is to equip participants with the technical know-how, vocational/technical skills, values and resources to become self-employed and employers of labour.”
Giving statistic of how MSMEs have been faring in the country, Governor Okowa said that more than 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria employ less than one hundred persons which put them in Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) category, adding that that was a sector that can get most of Nigerian youths off the street.
“By definition, MSMEs are companies that employ less than 250 persons and available statistics indicate that 97% of all businesses in Nigeria employ less than 100 persons and they account for about 50% of Nigeria’s productive workforce and 46.54% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)”.
While congratulating the participants at the orientation course, Governor Okowa said; “while multinational companies and big corporations get all the public attention and acclaim for their capacity to induce foreign investment capital, MSMEs remain the backbone for economic growth and social development in any society.”
Earlier, the Commissioner for Economic Planning in the state, Hon. Kingsley Emu in a welcome address said, the participants’ spirit are high and assured that at the end of the day, they will surpass the governor’s expectations.
Speaking in the same vein, the Sole Administrator of Songhai-Delta Dr Theophilus Okpidi in an address, thanked Governor Okowa for revamping the centre, adding, “I salute your courage and pray that God will make ways for you and direct your steps towards the actualization of the job and wealth creation scheme for the benefits of Deltans.”
He appealed to the governor and the state government to put in more into the strategic agriculture farm settlement and its facility, which is structure along the line of the famous Soghai in Port Novo, Republic of Benin.
In his address, the Chief Job Creation officer in the state, Prof. Eric Eboh disclosed that one thousand, six hundred and forty-five youths were been trained in the ongoing exercise. He thanked Governor Okowa for initiating the programme that will make the youths entrepreneurs.
Speaking with Niger Delta Report, one of the beneficiaries, Karen Arubayi, expressed gratitude to the governor for the opportunity to be among the first trainee of the YEGAP AND STEP programmes, enthusing that the training module and syllabus would ensure that the state government get the best out of it.
“Yes, it is strenuous, rigorous and very tasking, but that is because nothing good comes easy. I am very excited about this opportunity and the prospect that awaits at the end and I am determined to put in my best to ensure that I do not waste my time and the government’s resources,” she added.
Other participants expressed similar feelings, with some particularly happy that they are given opportunity to give feedback as well as to access and assess their instructor on their performances and teaching.
Side attractions at the event included cultural displays, matchpass and presentation of Certificate of Honour on the governor by the National Association of Nigerian Students.
Guests included the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Festus Agas, the Commissione for Science and Technology, Hon Joyce Overah, his Commerce and Industry counterpart, Mrs Mary Iyasere, Senator Emmanuel Aghariavwodo and Chief Peter Asagba
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Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (middle), his Deputy, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro (left) and the Commissioner for Economic Planning, Dr. Kingsley Emu during the flag-off of the Delta State youth skill acquisition training programme at Amukpe, Sapele, Delta
Traffic was paralysed for hours yesterday on the Ado-Ikare Federal Highway, as Ijan-Ekiti youths in Gbonyin Local Government blocked the road to protest nine-month power outage.
They demanded the restoration of power by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
The youths marched to the palace of the Onijan, Oba Oyewole Fadahunsi and urged him to make representations to the BEDC authorities, saying they could no longer bear the blackout, which had paralysed social and economic activities.
The protesters, who carried placards, said the outage gave robbers and other criminals the opportunity to perpetrate evils.
They gave BEDC a seven-day ultimatum to restore electricity or they might be forced to take legal actions.
They urged Governor Ayo Fayose to prevail on the electricity company to desist from disconnecting communities when it was only some individuals that defaulted in the payment of electricity bills.
Oba Fadahunsi pleaded for civility in
carrying out the protest, describing the outage as embarrassing.
He said he had made efforts to compel the BEDC to see reason why electricity should be restored, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. The monarch said the youths’ request would be conveyed to the government and the company.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Kola Oluwawole, enjoined BEDC to ensure that communities enjoyed the electricity they paid for.
Oluwawole, who reacted in Ado-Ekiti through his Special Assistant (Media), Stephen Gbadamosi, in a statement, said it was becoming a daily occurrence for youths to protest lack of electricity due to what he called “the lackadaisical attitude” of the company.
Residents of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) under the auspices of Concerned Youths of AMAC have asked political parties in the council to select credible chairmanship candidates for the poll.
Leader of the youths, Comrade Shekwo Audu made the call at a press briefing, said that future chairmanship candidates should emulate the present leadership of Hon. Micah Jiba for his sterling performance in office, establishing various skills aquisition centres.
Continuing, Audu said the era of selecting selfish candidates who do not mean well for the people has passed, adding that any candidate selected must be ready to work in the interest of indigenes and residents of AMAC.
He also praised the Jiba administration for ensuring that communities in the hinterland are provided with basic dividends of democracy like water, electricity and other infrastructural developments.
He said indigent children in rural communities are getting more educated due to the council’s commitment to education.
“Very soon,” he said, “political parties will be organising primaries to select their candidates for the forthcoming Area council elections. Many people have been showing interest to contest in different political parties. We are not against anybody, but we are advising the political parties to select credible candidates that would continue with the good work of the present council chairman, Hon. Micah Jiba.
“We are appealing that people that mean well for the people of AMAC, just like he does should be selected by all political parties, so that during the election, anybody that wins, the people of AMAC will celebrate, because there will be credible persons to continue with the good works of this present administration.
“We want to also advise residents of AMAC not to allow politicians to buy their conscience with money; rather they should pray and vote in the right people when the election fully commences. The Jiba-led administration is really doing well and we are praying that God will give us somebody that will come and continue with this good works,” he said.
