Focus on Wada’s Special Advisers: Dr. (Mrs) Temitope Sinkaiye

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Dr (Mrs) Temitope Sinkaiye, the Special Adviser to Kogi State Youth and Women Development, was appointed and sworn-in at the Lokoja Township Stadium on 26th July, 2013 along with some other colleagues. This is one Special Adviser whose footprints can be seen in all the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State. Her pet project, YAD4Kogi (Youth Advancement and Development Programme for Kogi State) has been a huge success story across the state.

It is a new dawn for youths in Kogi State, especially those who have submitted themselves to be taken through rigorous training and discipline under Governor Idris Wada’s project YAD4Kogi. The objectives of the programme are to generate employment opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths, reduce rural-urban migration, stem social vices, channel the zeal and energy of the youths positively for self-development and to create wealth to enhance socio-economic development of the State.

The YAD4Kogi programme, which commenced in the last quarter of 2012 has since turned out several sets of trainings during which about 5,000 young men and women have been given employment opportunities and adequately equipped to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state. The beneficiaries of the programme are aged 18 – 35 years old and they are from the 21 LGAs of Kogi State. The youths were trained at NYSC Orientation Camp, Asaya, Kabba.

YAD4Kogi graduates

YAD4Kogi graduates

The YAD4Kogi programme has four major components, which are sanitation volunteers, agro-entrepreneurship development, cassava processing and rice production.  The sanitation programme involves cleaning of roads, gutters and other public works available. The youths involved in this programme are also known as YAD4Kogi volunteers. The volunteers are given uniforms and kits to enable them carry out their duties. They are paid a monthly stipend of N7,000 after satisfactory completion of the cleaning. This phase of the programme is for the core poor who were unable to afford higher level of education. The volunteers are expected to work from 7.00am to 10.00am in the portion allocated at their Local Government from Monday to Friday weekly for a period of 12months and spend the remaining part of the day to learn a trade, the cost of which will be supplemented by the Government. The zonal coordinators work hand-in-hand with the desk officers of each LGA to ensure proper monitoring. Their activities are to complement those of the sanitation and waste management board.

YAD4Kogi Trainees

YAD4Kogi Trainees

The Agro-entrepreneurship development training programme is aimed at tapping the agricultural potential of the State for employment generation and wealth creation for youths of our dear State. The Agro-Entrepreneurship programme consists of graduates with OND and above. The Agro-Entrepreneurs were trained on the following topics: Entrepreneurship skill development, Co-operative Enterprises management, Marketing Techniques, Record Keeping and Accounts, Costing and Pricing Strategy, Feasibility study for small businesses, Business Plan Development etc. After training, the young entrepreneurs were given loans of  N250,000 in tranches to enable them start their various agro-businesses. They were encouraged to form cooperative groups in order to pool their resources together for maximum benefit.

In order to harness the benefits of Kogi State being the largest producer of cassava, His Excellency has approved the establishment of 4 cassava processing centres in 4 LGAs. In addition, about 5,000 youths are being mobilized for cassava production in 16 LGAs. The youths from selected LGAs were trained in cassava grit processing at Ayetoro, Ijumu LGA and Odu Ogboyaga, Dekina LGA respectively. The youths were lectured on the technology involved in the production of dried cassava grits and chips, operations and maintenance of the machines and quality control requirements needed for the products to meet export standard. While the youths were trained on chips and grits, the women were trained on garri production. They were given take-off grant in form of cassava tubers. They have also been linked to market source and the products are already being taken outside the State.

The facility centre at Odu-Ogboyaga when completed will provide employment for more than 100 youths and 100 women in cassava chips, grits and garri production. The following equipments have been provided in the centre by the State Government: stainless steel cassava gritting and chipping machines, hydraulic press and jack, garri processing machines, measuring scale, stitching machine, and wheel barrows etc.

The centre will be operated by the various co-operative groups and supervised from the office of the Special Adviser on Youth and Women Development. So far, 15 co-operative societies have been formed and they are operational at the centre. Each co-operative was given cassava tubers worth N100,000. The other youths that were trained will operate in their LGAs.

Also about 2000 youths were mobilized and registered into co-operatives for rice production in Lokoja, Kogi, Bassa and Ibaji LGAs.

Guest speakers, from various walks of life were invited to lecture the youths. Some of the guest speakers include Dr. (Mrs.) Iweriebor Ifeyinwa from USA, Mrs Rhona Peters a cassava grit and chips exporter from Flo-Mulvina Nig. Ltd., Mr. Onoja the Chairman, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Kogi State and Engr Ishola Adekunle from Hicmann Investments Ltd., amongst others.

Community leaders, including parents have attested to the changes observed in the attitudes of their wards who were engaged in the programme.  The Baale of Egbe, Oba Ayodele Irukera described Yad4kogi as an “unbelievable shortcut” through which the administration of Capt Idris Wada is addressing many societal problems, saying the initiative is akin to “killing many birds with one stone”, the monarch enumerated the areas of success recorded by the programme to include reducing youth restiveness, indolence, unemployment, indiscipline, crime and underdevelopment, especially at the grassroots. Oba Irukera also hailed the renewed keenness in agricultural productivity among Kogi youths and women brought about by the cassava and rice production initiatives of the Wada Administration, describing it as second to none in the federation.

The Special Adviser on Youth and Women Development, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Sinkaiye expressed gratitude to Governor Wada for his commitment and funding towards the development of youths. A visibly elated Governor Wada, speaking during his visit to NYSC Orientation camp during the Public works training at Kabba in April 2013, described youth welfare and development as a key component of his administration’s Transformation Agenda. He said his various youth development programmes were designed to arouse self-esteem, enhance enterprise, create employment and self-sustenance.

In all, Kogi State Government has created more than 5000 jobs with more jobs in line. According to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Elesho, so successful is the programme that it is being under studied by other states for eventual domestication. The ongoing rice cluster programme at Sarkin Noma, Lokoja and Koton-karfe is an offshoot of the over 3,000 hectares of land  cleared, developed and over 80 percent of it planted with rice, which is being extended to Bassa, Ibaji, Idah, Ajaokuta and Omala Councils. As a sign that Kogi was prepared for the rice revolution in Nigeria, thus becoming the largest rice producing state in the federation, the state has embarked on the clearing of 6,700 hectares, perhaps the largest done by any state. The leap, the state commissioner for agriculture, Dr Femi Bolarin enthused is expected to not only boost food production in Nigeria but also break the barriers of joblessness among youths in the state to an unprecedented level.


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