Reps: Nnabue gives empowerment training for Nkwerre/Isu/ Nwangele/Njaba …500 beneficiaries get N500,000 each

As part of his efforts to alleviate poverty among the people of
Nkwerre/Isu/Nwangele/Njaba federal constituency in Imo State, an American-based optometrist, Dr. Alex Nnabue on Monday commenced a three-day entrepreneurial training programme for youths and women in the federal constituency.
The programme, which thoroughly examined entrepreneurship education, trained more than 500 youths and women in skills like baking technology, piggery, fish, grass-cutter, mushroom, poultry, snail and vegetable farming, to channel the focus of the youths to skill acquisition for sustainable self-employment.
Speaking during the opening ceremony at the Christ the King’s Catholic Church hall, Okwudor in Njaba Local Government Area of the state, Dr. Nnabue observed that concerted effort was needed to empower the teeming youths and women with relevant skills and put them in a position to generate steady income by themselves.
He said what informed the programme was that “I ran into this programme where a friend of mine organised it. He told me the federal has been empowering rural people through this skills acquisition programme and take off grant of up to N1million per beneficiary.
“But when I got home, I asked around but nobody knew about the programme here. I had to contact my friend to facilitate the programme here. They told me they were through with Imo State. I persisted and got their approval to get about 500 persons enroled into the programme. I felt since we have four local governments in this federal constituency, we should get everyone involved and with that they will be able to access facilities between N100,000 and N1million”.
He said that it had become necessary to explore viable ways of generating viable employment for the vibrant and job-hungry youths, aside of strict office jobs.
“When you have a skill, it helps you to employ yourself and when you employ yourself, you enjoy the freedom and peace of mind to drive your own business. And if you are committed and hard-working enough, you will grow your business to such levels that you make more money than you can ever earn as salary from any employer. This is why we are laying this platform for our youths and women in this federal constituency”, Nnabue said.
He urged youths to put to good use all they have learnt and be prepared for a better tomorrow, saying it was achievable and doable.
According to him, “I am very passionate and optimistic about a better tomorrow. It is achievable. It is doable. I urge you to put to good use all you have learnt. Congratulations and see you at the top.”
Dr. Nnabue, who described the programme as a pilot one for the youthsand women, promised that many such skill acquisition training would be organized in future for their benefit.
He stated that the programme was one of the ways he as an individual can assist the government in the development of the state “because we have a governor who has done his best in repositioning the state”.
Addressing guests and beneficiaries at the programme, the national coordinator of the Basic Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training Programme, Mr. Lawrence Kyuka said the programme which was an initiative of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, was meant to curb youths restiveness, unemployment and provide alternative to white colar jobs and assist the youths.
He said after the programme the participants were expected to be immediately gainfully engaged in areas like agriculture (comprising aquatic, crop farming, animal husbandry, fish farming, piggery and poultry), technology such as media, website design, block building and internet marketing, video production and photography, as well as beads making amongs others which are consumables
“These are basically menial skills like baking and cream making that our people can use to get busy and contribute their own quota to the development of the nation”.
Some of the dinitaries in attendance at the opening ceremony included the tradional ruler of Isu Njaba, Eze Eddie Orisakwe; his Atta and Ihebinowerre counterparts, Eze Edwin Azike and Eze Kenneth Osunwa respectively, clergymen, politicians amongst others.