BY GABRIEL OKECHUKWU, FRCN PORT HARCOURT
Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku has emphasized training of youths on skills as an antidote to crimes, pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering.
Dr. Ogbuku who made this known at NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt Rivers State, during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Industrial Training Fund, explained that Youths Empowerment initiative, Holistic Opportunity Programmes and Engagement, christened Project HOPE, was set up by the commission to train and equip youths in their areas of interests, according to the data they submitted.
While calling on youths of the region to take advantage of the programme, he described it as part of the renewed Hope agenda of President Tinubu.
The Managing Director, who stated that NDDC was open to collaboration with different organizations, requested ten thousand slots from Industrial Training Fund for youths of the region in their skill up Artisans scheme.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Inreceptionist Agency who said that gone were the days when those who were not serious would collect money from government and go under, maintained that those that would benefit from the bank of Industry business support partnership would be people willing to do business.
The MD told the delegation that Youths of Niger Delta extraction can benefit from project Hope programme from any part of the country.
He said that a super committee was already set up to laise with ITF to actualize the partnership
On his part, the Director General, Industrial Training Fund, ITF Dr. Oluwatoyin Ogun
Who explained that the group was collating data of artisans that would be skilled -up to meet international standards, said they were working to actualize a presidential directive to raise five million artisans every year.
Dr Ogun who pledged that Industrial Training fund would collaborate with NDDC, insisted on the determination of the agency to root out quackery in the country.
The DG gave assurance that there were international bodies waiting to take artisans from Nigeria.
According to him, the export of artisans known as Talent export programme would bring about economic growth, because most of the exported artisans would normally reach out to their families in the country while making money overseas.
The ITF DG insisted that the group was ready to train and assist small and medium size enterprises to boost their businesses.
The Director General of Industrial Training Fund explained that the agency would come up with Market place help desks that would be in six Geo-political zones, where different artisans would reach out to get solutions in terms of difficulty.
