By Ese Obote-Ogwu
ASABA/Nigeria: Youths in the state have been advised to acquire relevant skills to strengthen their economic livelihood by taking every youth investment opportunity offered them to become self-reliant.
Delta State Commissioner, Ministry of Youth Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga, gave this advice, at the closing ceremony of the Eleventh Phase of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) held in Asaba.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in ministry, Ms Ngozi Mogbolu, urged the beneficiaries to utilize the opportunity provided by the Federal Government of Nigeria to help them rediscover their purpose and increase their chances of contributing to the economic growth of the country.
Egwunyenga intimated them of the State Government Youth Investment Programmes, saying that the ministry had embarked on it since the inception of the present administration.
Earlier in his address, the Director General and Chief Executive of the Industrial Training Fund, Sir Joseph Ari, stated that the 2021 National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), was geared towards the achievement of the federal government policy on job creation and wealth creation.
Ari, who was represented by a deputy director in Industrial Training Fund, Mr Onajite Ejekuko said that it was also intended to breed a new generation of entrepreneurs to transform the economic landscape of the country to drive the achievement of the economic recovery and growth plan.
“This phase of the programme, is the third quarter of 2021, the training lasted for three months and at least 3905 Nigerians were equipped with skills in two trade areas plumbing, catering & event management,” he stated.
Also, the Area Manager, Industrial Training Fund, Warri Area Office, Mrs Ugochinyere Onyeka, revealed that Nigeria had a preponderance of youthful population and there was need to revamp the nation’s economy and minimize crime.
She called for the skills of the youths, which she described as massive, to be developed and their energies channeled for productive use.
“Over five thousand youth of Delta extraction have been trained and supported in various trade areas since the inception of the programme in 2014,” she further revealed.
Mrs Onyeka, stated that the eleventh phase of the (NISDP) graduated 100 youths of Delta origin, with 50 in catering and event management and another 50 trained in plumbing and pipe fitting.
She expressed gratitude to the Delta State Government and the Ministry of Youth Development for the unflinching support that made the programme more visible.
The highpoint of the occasion was the distribution of startup packs to the beneficiaries.
