Godwin Kingsley, Lafia Nasarawa state government has procured modern equipment worth N300 million for distribution to all technical skills acquisition institutions in the state.
Governor Umaru Al-Makura stated this on Monday in Keffi at the graduation of trainees of
the state Youth Empowerment Scheme.
He explained that the procurement of the equipment was in line with his administration’s quest
to develop the youth with thorough technical skills acquisition. Al-Makura said government was poised to ensure that all the technical institutions in the state were adequately equipped in order to produce quality technicians who would compete favourable with their counterpart elsewhere in the world.
“The government is also collaborating with the Institute of Technical education in Singapore towards reviewing the course content and curricular of the state’s technical institution and
enhance the professional training of the students,” Al-Makura said.
He added that the equipment procured covered a wide range of vocations including: Electrical/Electronic, Plumbing, Computer, welding and fabrication amongst others.
Al-Makura said the training of the 1, 470 youth in the state as Traffic Marshalls, Sanitary Inspectors and Community Watchers was in furtherance of government’s determination to gainfully engage the youth.
He said the Traffic Marshalls would assist the Federal Road Safety Corps in the de-congestion of urban centres, especially in the Greater Karu axis, while the Sanitary Inspectors would be fully utilised by the Nasarawa Urban Development Board (NUDB) in order to ensure environmental cleanliness, sustainability and protection.
Similarly, Al-Makura noted that the Community Watchers would be deployed to enhance community vigilance and checkmate the phenomenon of insecurity in the state.
“I need to state that this initiative will go a long way in minimizing occurrences of conflicts and security threats in the society since the community watchers will always be there to draw attention to threats to peace and stability.
” This will be done not only in consonance with Nigeria Security and Defence Corps (NSCDC), but will be guided by the corps in order to adhere to the standard and philosophy of the corps,”
Al-Makura added.
He assured the people of the state that his administration would continue to intensify effort towards skills acquisition, training and retraining of youths for economic empowerment with a view to creating job opportunities, generate employment and reduce poverty.
The Governor therefore urged that graduate trainees to use the skills acquired during the
training programme for the benefit of the state.
“I urge you to be of good behavior, disciplined and responsible. This will encourage this administration not only to expand the scope of this scheme, but consider you as reserves for ready employment into core security services and other vocations,” Al-Makura said.
The trainees who were drawn from across the 13 local government areas would be paid a monthly stipend of N10,000
