27th January, 2016
Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Ifeanyi Okowa, the Delta State Governor has canvassed for the training of members of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) members in different areas of skill acquisition programmes to equip them with broader knowledge for self employment.
Governor Okowa made the call Wednesday in Asaba when the Director-General of the NYSC Brigadier-General Johnson Olawumi led officials of the scheme to pay him a courtesy visit.
The Governor, who lauded the objectives behind setting up the scheme, stated that equipping graduates with practical skills during the service year would be added advantage as it would reduce the number of graduates seeking few or non-available civil service jobs.
According to him, “I hope that we will encourage our graduates to acquire skills while they are in camp to enable them be engaged in agriculture and other self-sustaining skills, because, the white collar jobs are not easily available.”
He added, “we must find a way of re-orientating them within the service year to begin to think about what they can do with their hands and with their brains and I hope that the various governments too will create the enabling environment for them to acquire skills to be able to find some form of funding to be able start up their own businesses in the future.
“I believe the NYSC has been a success story in this nation despite the challenges that we have.”
The Governor reiterated that “it is one scheme that has brought unity, enabled our youths to be exposed to various states in the nation and has served as a stabilizing tool for our nation.”
While commending management of the scheme for choosing Asaba as the venue for their 2016 ‘annual management/stakeholders’ meeting,’ Governor Okowa emphasized that “it is important for us to always do stock-taking to enable us plan and project for the subsequent year for its success.”
He assured the Director-General of his administration’s commitment to assisting the NYSC to succeed in the state.
Earlier, Brigadier-General Olawumi had told the Governor they were in the state for their annual management conference which brings together top officers of the scheme with all stakeholders to discuss the journey so far and how to ensure better performances.
He thanked the Governor for the state government’s assistance for the effective operation of the scheme in the state