Sokoto State Government on Thursday graduated another set of 500 women trainees under the state poverty reduction program.
The trainees, who were drawn from across the state received training in leather and crafts, soap-making food and spices, tomato production, and hairdressing.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Governor Aliyu reaffirmed his administration’s determination to continue to train youths and women in various trades to make them self-reliant.
He said the present administration had from inception to date trained hundreds of youths in different skills through Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Welfare, Local Government Affairs, Poverty Reduction Agency, as well as Women and Children’s Affairs.
The Governor said, “All these are done as part of our modest effort to create jobs, reduce youth restiveness, and check idleness among the teaming youths in the state.”
He added that empowering the youths through a skills acquisition program is one of the cardinal objectives of his administration and called on all well-meaning citizens to rally round the administration to achieve the objectives.
According to him, plans are under the way to train more youths in the coming years, adding,” so that at the end of our tenure, we would have achieved our target in job creation, poverty reduction, employment generation as well reducing youth restiveness in the state InshaAllah.
“This administration is working hard to create an enabling environment that would fast-track economic growth through menial jobs, and promote artisanship, and other skilled trades in the state.
“To further create job opportunities for our teaming unemployed youths in the state, we have recently procured 1000 motorcycles and 500 Tricycles, which were sold at subsidized rates.”
Governor Aliyu charged the graduands of the training to utilize the tools and stipends given them wisely, charging, “so that you can cater for the needs of your families.”
Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Muhammad Bello Sifawa, underscored the contributions of women to the economic growth of every society and called on the graduands to justify the confidence reposed in them.
The representative of the Sultan of Sokoto at the occasion, Alhaji Lirwanu Bello, Magajin Rafin Sokoto, applauded the Governor’s youth empowerment strategy, which he said, would assist greatly in reducing crimes and criminality in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Poverty Reduction, Barrister Sa’adatu Yunusa, also commended the Governor.
According to her, Governor Aliyu had invested huge amounts of money in the training and purchase of kits for use by the trainees.
Some of the beneficiaries of the training program appreciated the opportunity given to them to learn trades so they could fend for their children.
At the end of the event, Governor Aliyu was presented with an ‘Empowerment Trailblazer Award’.
