Ibeku Town Union Launches Empowerment Programme
Emmanuel Ugwu in Umuahia
Desirous of banishing delinquency among youths, the Ibeku Egwu Asaa Development Association (IEADA) has embarked on apprenticeship empowerment programme targeting young persons interested in acquiring various skills.
To this end 80 youths have become the first set of beneficiaries of the programme when they were handed over cheques to enable them pay for their apprenticeship programmes in places where they chose to learn any trade of their choice.
The ceremony held at Ibeku Civic Centre, Isieke Ibeku attracted prominent personalities form Ibeku clan who came to mentor and encourage the youths to acquire skills, especially if they have no desire to further their educational pursuits.
Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, who was represented by his principal secretary, Chief Emmanuel Nwabuko, said he was pleasantly surprised that a town union has come up with a programme of empowering its youths and asked other such bodies to emulate the leadership of IEADA.
He said that IEADA was working in tandem with his administration in the area of youth empowerment and encouraged them to keep the flag flying and pledged his backing for such laudable programmes.
Chairman of the event, Chief Johnson Onuigbo lauded the new executive of IEADA led by Chief Emeka Enyiazu for coming up with the apprenticeship empowerment programme which he said was the first of its kind in the annals of IEADA history.
“It is a thing of joy that the leadership of IEADA has set aside some amount of money for the welfare of the young generation of Ibeku land,” he said, adding that the empowerment programme is a legacy that successive leaderships of IEADA must strive to sustain.
Onuigbo, who is also the Abia State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urged the beneficiaries of the empowerment programme to make proper use of the money given to them by working hard and praying to God to crown their efforts with success.
He advised youths to desist from self defeatist tendencies by believing that somebody has “tied their destiny” any time they failed to achieve their aims.
“If you involve yourself in taking hard drugs, wasting your time, refusing to go to school or learn a trade, will you in future accuse anybody of blocking your destiny?” adding, “You can be what you want to be.”