By Abuchi Onwumelu
In a bid to prepare his constituents adequately for the realities of post COVID-19, the member representing Aguata I State Constituency, Hon. Dr. Carter Dike Nnamdi Umeh, has commenced the training over one hundred constituents on various skill acquisitions.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Hon. Dike said that entrepreneurship and creativity would be a massive driver of the economy due to a massive retrenchment of labour from the private sector coupled with the level of an already redundant labour force.
He stated that he decided to equip his constituents with the required skill that would reduce the level of impending menace and effects that might arise from such economic disaster.
Some of the skills spelt out by the agency contracted by Hon Dike, Jassy Coaching Services, are quality shoes, bags and belt making.
According to him, the agency specialized on skill acquisition and entrepreneurial training, noting that the programme would not be limited to acquiring skills but would also include converting the skills into money and employing more hands.
He said it was part of his vision of involving donor agencies and corporate organizations in capacity building, skill acquisition and vocational training.
His words, ‘Covid-19 has foisted on us bags of uncertainties coupled with a new set of realities called the “new normal”; a reality where there’s no job and the existing ones displaced, a reality where a certain kind of dominant resource will crumble and make way for creativity, skills and other forms of human resources.
‘With these foresights, I deemed it fit to embellish youths from my constituency with this armour (skill sets) in other to combat the unemployment that will come with Post COVID- 19.
‘100 persons across all wards in Aguata I Constituency were carefully chosen and enrolled to acquire numerous skill sets, ranging from shoes, bags and belt making, and most importantly how to transform this skills into money and basically become employers of labour.’
On ground to witness the maiden event was the Commissioner for Youth, Prof Theresa Obiekezie, and the MD of Digital Entrepreneurship Rtn. Engr Ifeanyi Aniagoh. The duo showered encomiums Honr Carter, even as they applauded him for thinking ahead and beyond his peers.
According to the Commissioner for Youth, government’s priorities must be set right in order to achieve economic growth and development. One of the ways to setting our priorities right, he said, was to invest heavily on oneself and human resource development.
The commissioner appealed to the beneficiaries to take charge and become lead transformers of the economy where they resided through becoming employers of labour.
Immediately after the flag-off, Hon. Crater moved to yet another event on youth development where he delivered a keynote address entitled, “Politics and Youths Involvement”. There, he narrated his sojourn to politics and noted that success in politics for the youth was not rocket science but rather a product of hard work and consistency.
He ended the day with a visit and supervision of a road that was attracted by Engr Ossy Ezenwaka and Chigbo Ezeobiora
It will be recalled that sequel to the maiden town hall meeting held by Hon Dike, he had pleaded with all stakeholders including those who were highly connected, to assist in constructing roads within their reach.
