Bende Local Government Area secured 130 slots, with beneficiaries drawn from its 13 political wards.
By Mmesoma Onwuka
365Daily – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has flagged off a four-month skills training programme for 150 youths in Abia State, urging them to acquire the skills needed to become self-reliant and contribute to national development.
The programme, “An Artisan Training on Building Projects,” is sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB), facilitated by Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), and supported by the Office of the Deputy Speaker.
While 150 youths were selected across Abia, Bende Local Government Area secured 130 slots, with beneficiaries drawn from its 13 political wards.
Speaking at the flag-off in Bende on Monday, Kalu said the initiative was part of efforts to invest in Nigeria’s youthful population.
“The youths are the energy of the nation. The more we equip them, the better we build the nation. If we abandon them, we abandon our future.”
He urged the beneficiaries to remain committed to the four-month programme, which comprises two months of theory and two months of practical training.
Kalu also disclosed that successful participants would receive nationally and internationally recognised certificates, while job placements had been arranged for qualifying beneficiaries in the first phase.
“The only way you are going to pay Mr President, the African Development Bank, Family Home and the Office of the Deputy Speaker back is by showing dedication. Finish the training. What is waiting for you at the end is big,” he said.
A representative of FHFL, Builder Ugwueri John, said the programme was designed to reduce youths’ dependence on white-collar and government jobs.
“It is a skill that drives the economy of this nation, and our teeming unemployed youths rely on white-collar jobs or government jobs. The government saw the need to engage our youths in skill development.”
One of the beneficiaries, Dabara Samuel Fumilayo from Item B, expressed appreciation to Kalu, saying the training was an investment in their future.
“We are not really talking about today, we are talking about our future, not only for us, but for the upcoming ones,” she said.