Niger State Government has expressed the determination to equip no fewer than 100,000 youth in the state with various agricultural and vocational skills.
Governor Umaru Bago stated this in his remarks at the distribution of start-up kits to the over 5,000 graduates of the Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC) held on Saturday at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre, Minna.
He stated that countries that have grown have paid more attention to skills, highlighting that many development partners have expressed willingness to partner with the state in training the youths on different skills.
The Governor commended N-HYPPADEC for the initiative, describing it as a wonderful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
He also appreciated the N-HYPPADEC for collaborating with the state government in relocating communities threatened by floods and providing potable drinking water to many communities in the state.
To the graduates, the Governor commended their resilience and perseverance throughout the period of training, emphasising that great people were not made easy but from a solid rock.
He, therefore, enjoined them not to sell the start-up kits but use them judiciously, while calling on them to stay away from drugs and crimes and be the best they can be in life.
The Governor also advised those that had acquired skills in agriculture areas should collaborate with established farms, like the state government, the Etsu Nupe among other prominent citizens and corporate organizations for better outcomes in their endeavours.
The Managing Director N-HYPPADEC, Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, in a separate remark likened the event as historic, explained the idea of training youths under the Youth Transformation programme (TYP) of the commission is a job creation initiative conceived to address youths unemployment in all the six member states of the commission.
He pointed out that over 5,000 youths were trained across the six member states with over 1,500 youths from Niger, 505 in Benue, 1,011 in Kebbi, 705 in Kogi, 814 in Kwara and 365 in Plateau, noting that the training programme was between three and six months and that the skills they acquired have been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Abuja .
The N-HYPPADEC boss disclosed that the commission was working for the second edition which he stated further would be upscaled to include the establishment of an entrepreneurship unit, for coordinating activities associated with entrepreneurship, empowerment, and job creation and to inculcate advanced skills’ acquisition training particularly for unemployed Degree and HND holders.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, represented by his Chief of Staff, Simon Tyungu appreciated N-HYPPADEC, describing the programme as a laudable one, saying “it will compliment the efforts of President Bola Tinubu-led administration in engaging the youths in meaningful ventures that will keep them off social vices.
The Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District in the National Assembly,Abuja, Senator Muhammad Sani Musa commended N -HYPPADEC and Governor Umaru Bago whom he described as a vibrant, youthful governor who has defied all odds to show that he was capable of taking Niger State to another level due to his exemplary leadership style, noting that the support he has given N-HYPPADEC is unprecedented.
While charging the youths to utilise what they would be given, the Senator said, “from 2025, N-HYPPADEC would be supported to carryout more programmes with most of the projects to be tied to zonal interventions and capital projects.”
The Etsu Nupe and Chairman Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar applauded the graduates for their patience to acquire the skills, saying it will go a long way in benefitting them positively.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District in the National Assembly ,Abuja,Senator Mohammed Sani Mus and Chairman Senate Committee on Finance, Commissioner for Youth Development, Yahaya Ibrahim Gulbin Boka and the Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Niger State Chapter, Abdullahi Ishaq, all commended the foresight of the N-HYPPADEC and the support from State Governor, Umaru Bago to the youths and urged the beneficiaries to use the starter packs for the purpose they were meant for but not to sell it.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries were trained in tailoring and fashion design, painting, photography, plumbing, floor tiling, block moulding, bricklaying, catering, hair barbing and styling, auto mechanic, engineering, poultry, and fisheries, among others.
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