Deputy Speaker trains Imo youths on skills acquisition
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, has facilitated the training of at least 100 youths from Imo State on skills acquisition. The youths, who are graduates of different disciplines from tertiary institutions in Nigeria, were trained at the Metallurgical Training Institute, along Owerri-Onitsha road in Anamabra State.
The training was organised through the 2013 federal government zonal intervention/ constituency project on skills acquisition and training for youths in Imo State. After the six-month programme, the beneficiaries were given the necessary equipment to enable them become selfemployed. Out of the 100 youths that enrolled for the programme, 53 graduated while 47 are expected to graduate in due course.
Speaking to Sunday Trust, a beneficiary of the programme, Mr. Leonard Ukwuoma, who is a native of Njaba Local Government Area and a graduate of Electrical/ Electronics Engineering from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri, said he was grateful to the deputy speaker for offering him the opportunity to acquire important skill on Instrumentation and Control System Technology, a pipeline technology that will add more value to his profession and make him self-reliant.
“I have benefitted a lot from this programme, especially in the area of electronics. Based on the latest skill I acquired, I can assure myself of self-reliance,” he said.
Another beneficiary, Miss Nkiruka MaryJane Eze, who hails from Nkwere Local Government Area of the state, is a graduate of Government and Public Administration from the Abia State University, Uturu. She was also trained on Instrumentation and Control System Technology.
She said: “The skill is going to be relevant in my personal and economic life. To some extent, the skill has helped me to solve the problem of unemployment,” adding that, in the present day Nigeria, skills are more important than degrees that would not fetch jobs. “The skill you acquire will help you to start from somewhere and not necessarily wait for government to give you a job that may never come your way.”
Mr. Darlington Imo also benefitted from the programme. Imo, who hails from Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area and read Economics at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu, acquired basic skill in Welding and Fabrication.
Speaking to Sunday Trust he said, “During the six-month training I was exposed to skills such as gas welding, special welding and ACK welding. I benefitted a lot. With the skills I acquired I know that the future will be fine for me. I believe that as youths, we all need skills that will help us in the future.”
Addressing the beneficiaries and admirers earlier, Ihedioha said the programme was one of the interventionist schemes designed by the federal government to fill existing gaps in the nation’s quest for technological growth. He said it was also initiated to stem the tide of unemployment in the state and make the society a better place to live. He added that the youths were trained in various aspects of engineering and technology based on the critical needs of the state and the country in general. Ihedioha represents Aboh Mbaise/ Nkor-Okpala federal constituency of Imo State in the House of Representatives.
Areas where the youths were trained include Wielding and Fabrication, Automobile Equipment Maintenance, Instrumentation and Control System Technology, Mechanical, Machining and Maintenance, Electrical Equipment Installation and Maintenance, as well as Computer Appreciation Maintenance.
Going down memory lane, director and chief executive of the institute, Engr. Ranti Ajamolaya said it was established in 1979 by the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), after a critical appraisal of the needs of the steel and allied industries in Nigeria. He revealed that the mandate of the institute include training of low and middle level technical manpower in maintenance and repair works for steel and allied industries. It also helps in creating a pool of indigenous technical workforce that could erect, commission, operate and maintain steel industries in the country.
Also speaking, deputy rector of the institute, Engr. Ikechukwu Okonkwo advised other leaders, associations, corporate bodies and well-meaning individuals to emulate the deputy speaker in his bid to empower the youth. He added that third and fourth batches of beneficiaries are undergoing training.
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