SINCE the inception of Captain Idris Wada as the governor of Kogi State, his dream has been to tackle the issue of unemployment and youth restiveness with immediate effect.
Before he assumed office in January 2012, the rate of unemployment in the state was very high.
Since ‘an idle mind’ as they say, is the devils workshop, it was only a question of time for the idle youths to divert their energy to thuggery and other social vises in the state.
This was a big challenge before the governor since the unemployed youths knew no inhibitions, including violence to meet their daily needs.
In order to find a lasting solution to this, Wada ensured that the issue of thurggery among the youths in the state was taken care of by discouraging them from participating in negative activities that could tarnish the image of the state and that of his government.
Already, the SMEDAN, in partnership with the Kogi State government has trained about 108 youths and women in on Vocational and Enterprise Skills Training and Women Entrepreneurship Development as well as the processes involved in the identification of business opportunities and ultimately setting up their own new businesses.
According to the Director General, SMEDAN, Alhaji Muhammed Nadada Umar, the young people will be nurtured, mentored and monitored as they progress along the path of profitability and sustainability.
Speaking recently on the occasion of the Small Business Opportunities Fair 2012 North Central Zone held in Lokoja, Kogi the state capital, the Director General thanked Governor Wada for agreeing to partner with SMEDAN towards hosting the events.
He noted that considering the relevance of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sub-sector in the economic growth and development of Nigeria, the North- Central Zone and Kogi in particular, would provide a wonderful platform for the development of MSMEs.
Today, the people of the state are grateful to Governor Wada for putting in place youth empowerment schemes in all the 21 local government councils called Youths Advancement Development for Kogi (YAD4KOGI). The goal of getting youths off the street and addressing the menace of armed robbery, thuggery, terrorism and other negative vices in the state is being achieved through the introduction of the programme.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Youth and Women Development, Dr Temitope Sinkaiye, whose office is in charge of the programme, said all the participants were expected to work in their local governments of origin with the supervisor of the YAD4Kogi local government desk officers, and the zonal coordinators from her office.
According to her, the youths were camped at the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC camp Asayan, Kabba, for two weeks. During the orientation exercise, they embarked on activities such as jogging, drilling and lectures. They were taught entrepreneurship skills that would make them to be self reliant.
According to her, the ADP Block Extension Supervisors (BESs) were specifically charged with the responsibility of overseeing the agro-entrepreneurial activities of the youths in all the local government.
Today, about 1,500 young men and women have been employed and adequately equipped under the scheme to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state through the trainings. Already, three sets of trainings have taken place within the period in and outside the state.
She said the public works training was for secondary school and primary school leavers and school drop outs to enable them to carry out environmental sanitation in their various local government areas. This group is known as YAD4Kogi volunteers. They dress in their work uniform to show that they are committed to do the work.
This programme is for the poor who are unable to afford higher level education and are unskilled for the job market.
Already, the programme is transforming lives in many local government areas in the state.
The second set is for National Diploma holders up to university graduates. According to the Special Adviser her office is partnering with the Kogi State Agricultural Development Project (ADP) for the implementation of the programme as the agro-entrepreneurship training covered both managerial and technical components.
She noted that the ADP facilitated the technical training and provided extension/advisory services to youths, stressing that each of the trainees was entitled to a loan of N250,000 which Wada approved and cheques presented to the beneficiaries.
The beneficiaries are expected to go into fishery, Poultry, Cassava Processing and other areas. The third set were sent to the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria for training.
During the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries at the youth advancement and development for Kogi state (YAD4KOGI) Agro-Loan, the state governor disbursed the sum of N37.5 million to 150 youths to embark on various vocational trades under the state advancement and development scheme; as each group collected N250,000.
The governor said the gesture was in fulfillment of his campaign promise to empower youths and women in the state. According to him, the programme was a serious one aimed at ensuring that the youths were employers of labour, adding that the scheme will go a long way in reducing poverty and disease being experienced in the past.
Wada, who expressed delight with the battle against thuggery and violence amongst youth in the state, commended their peaceful conduct during their vocational training at Asaya camp in Kabba.
The governor reiterated his support to programmes that would uplift the standard of living of the youths in the state. He advised them to be law-abiding, assuring them of enormous benefits in the years ahead.
A beneficiary from Ofu Local Government Area Miss Daniel Etuile Joy, whose product was exhibited while the governor was presenting cheques to beneficiaries, was one of the outstanding youths. According to her, she used her savings from the training to establish a small business on food packaging. She said that she would use her loan to expand her business as she currently did not meet market demands.
Another beneficiaries, Mallam Yusuf Musa from Lokoja Local Government Council, while narrating his experiences, said he was so poor that for the first month of YAD4KOGI volunteer period he wore only his uniform as he could not afford another shirt.
Today, he has registered for computer training as his own skill; acquisition component of the programme to be supported by government.
Meanwhile, another 500 youths have finished training in sanitation and public works at the National Youth Service Orientation Camp at Asayan in Kabba. They were trained in the camp for about two weeks in the second phase of the Youth Advancement and Development programme SURE. This second phase of the programme catered for youths in public works and enabled them to be self reliant.
Jimoh is the Media Assistant (Print Media) to the Kogi State governor.
