By Musa Tanimu Nasidi.
The number of the unemployed keeps increasing, even as white-collar jobs are hard to come by. Those in position of authority encourage the jobless to be self-reliant through the provision of empowerment items. Musa Tanimu Nasidi reports that the lawmaker representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency and the Deputy majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Umar Buba Jibril has given empowerment items worth over N150M to some of his constituents.
As the country grapples with the challenge of unemployment as a result of lack of white-collar jobs, wealthy individuals and those in position of authority have been encouraging individuals, especially young school leavers and graduates to redirect their attention from being job-seekers to job-creators and employers of labour.
Rt Hon Umar Buba Jibril, a lawmaker, is not left out in the quest to empower members of their constituency through skill acquisition programmes and empowerment items.
In the circumstances, the countrified town of Lokoja /Kogi Federal Constituency of Kogi State sparkled as residents shirked all their commercial and other activities to converge on Lokoja the headquarter of Kogi State and Koto Karfe in Kogi Local Government Area, which constitutes the Federal Constituency the lawmaker represent.
The Two Hundred participants gathered joined by several distinguished guests who came from far and near to witness a unique moment when many members of the lawmaker’s constituency were empowered with ITC Training sponsored by Rt Hon Umar Buba Jibril to make them self-reliant and, possibly employers of labour.
For them, it was a rare opportunity to witness such an event which, they said, was the first in the state since the return of democracy in 1999.
After the three day training, each participants would be provided with a Laptop worth One Hundred and Twenty Thousand Naira (N120,000).
Speaking at the event, Rt Hon Umar Buba Jibril, who was represented by his Personal Assistant, Mr Moses Adoga James, advised participants to compliment the efforts of the lawmaker by using the opportunities accords them:” let me appeal to you all to use this opportunity by using the laptop as a tool for self reliant”, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Lokoja Local Government, Secretary of the party in the area, Hon Mayaki Abubakar, a.k a Let Them Say, praised the lawmaker nothing that Rt. Hon. Buba has empowered the people of his constituency with various items.
He explained that the lawmaker recently provided free medical treatment outreach where over 100 people with various eyes problems undergone free surgical operations; ” over 100 women were trained on soap and Izal making, fish smoking method and now ICT training for two hundred senior secondary school students after the three day training each participant would go home with a Laptop worth N120,000″ he explained.
Coordinator of the project, Alhaji Sulaiman Oyaremi explained that the program is aimed at exposing the opportunity on ITC training on the Rt Hon Buba Jibril, Constituency to bring them to the next level.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of the empowerment items to boost-up their welfare.
Adamu Abubakar a beneficiary commended the lawmaker for the gesture, saying it was the first of its kind since 1999.
Another beneficiaries, who identified herself as Aiyasha Aliyu and who is expected to receive a Laptop,said she’s grateful to Rt Hon. Buba, saying she would possibly go into commercial business with the Laptop.
The training which is going on in Koto Karfe and Lokoja, has 80 participants from Koton Karfe and 120 from Lokoja.
