By Ishaq Dan-Imam, Lokoja
In its continued effort to tackle unemployment through the development of vocational skills among the teaming unemployed in Nigeria, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Kogi State, north-central Nigeria, has flagged off the empowerment of 42 graduated Trainees who participated in the Community Based Training Scheme (CBTS), with start-ups and vocational tools to promote self-employment of young Nigerians.
The State Coordinator, Mr. Ibidun Abiodun Amos, who represented the Director General of NDE, Mr. Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, at the orientation ceremony held at Kogi State NDE office, Lokoja, said the program provided the enablement for skill acquisition for the participants who have demonstrated commitment to the training as the agency had taken note of the spirit of enterprise in the participants who excelled in the course of the training.
Fikpo urged the beneficiaries of the skill acquisition training to put into practice the skills and knowledge acquired for self-reliance, employment generation, wealth creation, and poverty reduction.
The representative of the Kogi State Government at the empowerment ceremony, Hon. Balogun Simeon, who is the facility manager in Government House, Lokoja, charged the beneficiaries to be enterprising, and creative and strive for business innovation in their respective endeavours to attract high patronage.
The facilitator of the program from the vocational skills development department at the NDE headquarters, Abuja Mr. Nuhu Umar urged the beneficiaries that NDE’s vision is creating ‘Jobs for All’. Umar urged them to support the Directorate’s drive to accomplish its mandate of improving productivity in the informal sector of the economy.
The Head of Vocational Skills Development in the State, Mallam Abubakar Adam, called on the trainees to embrace the ‘golden opportunity’ NDE training offered to young business owners to benefit from the federal government intervention in vocational skills development towards economic improvement of all Nigerians.
Adam urged the trainees to consider the scheme as a means to an end.
According to him, Dangote started from somewhere, and with determination, today, he is a reference point in international business as a top player in manufacturing in Nigeria.”
Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries, Mrs Fausat Yusuf, appreciated the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership for the skill acquisition development initiative, aimed at economic empowerment of the downtrodden in the country.
