23rd August, 2015
A philantropist, Chief Samuel Pukat, has trained 500 Plateau youths as drivers, as part of efforts to reduce joblessness in the state.
Pukat told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Jos on Sunday, that 300 youths were trained in Mangu, while 200 others were trained in Bokkos.
“I opted for driving to create jobs because I found that it was eas easier and faster for a driver to get employed than a graduate.
`Ìf 100 graduates and 100 dirvers enter the labour market today, the drivers will be engaged within a week, while the graduates will still be pounding the streets in search of jobs,” he said.
He said that most of the drivers he trained had secured jobs in the Nigeria Army, NSCDC, banks and other reputable organisations.
“Some opted to be on their own by collecting vehicles on hire-purchase and now own three to five vechicles in their fleet,” he said.
Pukat said that he had also trained 500 youths and women in 37 different tràdes in Bokkos.
“The idea, generally, is to make them self-reliant and minimise their dependence on others for hand outs,” he said.
The philantropist said that he had also trained 400 persons on computer operations and maintenance, adding that many of them had secured jobs with those skills.
Pukat challenged leaders and Nigerians in good positions to make job creation a priority, noting that the society would benefit immensely if the number of idle hands and heads were reduced to the barest mimimum.
He said that he had consistently offered scholarships to various youths, but explained that monies deployed to that venture had now been sunk into establishing a school for orphans, cited in Mangu.
“The school is strictly for orphans, who have lost both parents, in the insurgency attacks hitting most parts of the country,” he said.
The philantropist said that the school had more than 300 students with two streams each of JSS 1 – 3.
“The dream is to give them renewed hope in life.
“I also want to save them from societal abuse because the orphans are mostly the victims of rape, child trafficking, forced labour and child slavery,” he said