Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Office of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) have agreed to collaborate to train recommitted to train ex-agitators on related areas in the power sector.
The planned training formed part of discussions when the NAPTIN Director-General, Mr. Ahmed Bolaji Nagode and his management team paid a courtesy call on the PAP Interim Administrator, Major-Gen Barry Ndiomu (rtd) in his office in Abuja.
A press statement issued by Freston Akpor, SA Media to the PAP Interim Administrator on Friday, said the planned collaboration will see NAPTIN train ex-agitators as part of the non-formal education vocational training scheme of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
The NAPTIN boss expressed the Institute’s readiness to partner with the PAP in broader areas to build the capacity of ex-agitators and youths in the Niger Delta to play critical roles in the power and related sectors.
“Youths from the Niger Delta who undergo the training scheme would not only become self-reliant but also job creators and employers of labour who would grow the nation, improve human capital and make Nigeria better economically,” he said.
He identified solar PV Installation, Mini Grid and Metering as key areas for skill acquisition and development in the power sector to enhance job creation and help ex-agitators to become independent.
He said “As an institute, NAPTIN is at the fore to develop those trade skills for the power sector which is also in line with the policy direction of the PAP Interim Administrator’s desire to see youths from the Niger Delta drive the economic growth of the region”.
Welcoming the visitors, the PAP Interim Administrator expressed gratitude to the NAPTIN team for the seriousness it attached to the earlier request for a collaboration, and assured that efforts are on to design a workable plan to get the project up and running.
He said the PAP under his watch is eager to see that registered ex-agitators from the region are empowered with relevant skills to build their capacity to enable them to become self-reliant.
It would be recalled that the Interim Administrator had earlier paid a visit to NAPTIN to broker a partnership between the PAP and the Institute to train and build the capacity of ex-agitators from the Niger Delta in power related areas.
