From Beauty John, Lafia
No fewer than 750 youths in Nasarawa state that have been trained by ActionAid Nigeria in six vocations, have received starter packs worth N38 million to enable them start their businesses.
The country director of the Non Governmental Organization, Mrs Ene Obi, during the handing over ceremony in Lafia, on Friday, said the intervention was in fulfilment of the promise the organisation made two years ago when the “System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalization to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) Project was flagged off in Nasarawa State.
“ActionAid did promise to support vocational skills training for 750 youths and thereafter provide starter packs for them to start up their businesses.
“Today, that promise is fulfilled as ActionAid Nigeria together with her Nasarawa partners, Global Peace Development and Beacon Youth Initiative, under the supervision of the Nasarawa State Government will be handing over 6 vocational skills equipment worth N38,000,000 (105,555.555 USD) to 750 youths in Nasarawa State,” she added.
Obi, while decrying the rate of unemployment in the state explained that the skill acquisition training was aimed at taking the youths off the streets by creating income generation avenue and making them entrepreneurs as a panacea in the prevention of violent extremism in Nasarawa State.
She explained that the beneficiaries drawn from 12 communities in 6 Local Government Areas namely : Obi, Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon, Nasarawa, Toto and Lafia, were trained across 6 vocational skills which are: tailoring, hairdressing, shoe and bag making, ICT, phone repairs and Carpentry.
The vocational starter kit distributed include: sewing machines, desktop computers, printers, hair dryers, generators , carpentry equipments, shoe making equipments among others.
The country director lauded governor Abdullahi Sule for his commitment and support to the project from its inception.
In his remark, governor Abdullahi Sule thanked ActionAid Nigeria for picking interest in Nasarawa State, assuring that his led administration will leverage on their initiative to ensure that more people are empowered, in order to reduce the rate of unemployment in Nasarawa state.
Governor Sule, ably represented by the commissioner of Youth and Sports Development, Othman Bala Adam urged the beneficiaries to use the skills and equipments provided to better their lives, as he warned against diversion or sale the equipments.
THE AUTHORITY reports that the SARVE II project is funded by Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, (GCERF).
