By Kenneth Onuoha
Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Umahi, has said he would seek the services of respected icons in the country to discover and harness the potentials of Ebonyi youths.
Umahi disclosed this in Abakaliki, during the closing ceremony of the inaugural #EndSARS youth summit on Wednesday, March 10, 2020.
He revealed that over 75 percent of youths who participated in the one-week event would be groomed in film acting to make them future movie stars.
“We would collaborate with veteran Nollywood actor, Zack Orji, who offered tutorials during the summit, to groom future movie stars from Ebonyi State,” he declared.
The Governor added that Legend African soccer stars, Kanu Nwankwo and Peter Rufai, would assist in harnessing the football and general sporting talents of the youths who would be organised as a unit to be effectively engaged.
“The participating youths, in addition to the five youths, women and elders selected from each of the 13 local government areas of the state, would be empowered immediately in various entrepreneurial ventures with N2 million each,” he disclosed.
Umahi lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for directing that the summit be convened in all states of the federation, noting that security challenges affected its convening in some states.
Chairman of the summit’s organising committee, Mr Eze Nwachukwu, said that over 1, 500 youths participated and were tutored to see governance and other societal issues.
“The youths are grateful to the governor for convening the summit and the Ebonyi society would feel the summit’s impact through the re-orientation of the youths,” he assured.
Former Super Eagles captain and FIFA U-17 World Cup winner, Kanu Nwankwo, urged the youths not to allow distractions affect their future pursuits but to be hardworking and disciplined.
On his part, Peter Rufai, Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper, urged youths to effectively combine their sporting endeavours with education to achieve success in life and utilise the opportunities provided by the governor.
Rev. Fr Abraham Nwali, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Religion and Welfare Matters, urged the youths to be prayerful.