NAN-H-91
Entrepreneurship
By Yashim Katurak
Abuja, Feb. 10, 2017 (NAN) Brig.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), in Abuja on Friday said the skills acquisition centre for the training of corps members in Ekiti state would be ready next week.
Kazaure said this at the closing ceremony of two weeks in-camp Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) Training Programme for corps members at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Kubwa, FCT.
The director-general had earlier told newsmen in an interview in Abuja that the scheme would construct six skills acquisition centres in the six geo-political zones of the country.
“The skills acquisition centre in Ekiti would be completed by next week, which will take care of the South-West.
‘’The centre in Gombe state, for the North-East, has reached 30-40 per cent completion, so, we are making progress.
“We are working with Access Bank in this venture; the bank is handling the centre in Gombe.
‘’For the South-South, by next month, we will do the ground breaking in Delta state.
“The scheme is into Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the provision of training materials for the corps members.
‘’We shall continue to seek collaboration with the private sector in achieving our target, “Kazaure said.
He said that from the progress reports he had received so far on the SAED programme, held in all orientation camps nationwide, corps members had shown enthusiasm during the sensitisation and training.
“I have no doubt that all of you have laid a solid foundation of interest in skills acquisition upon which we now expect you to develop your post-camp training and eventual financial empowerment.”
He said that the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) had expressed willingness to further assist the scheme in the training of corps members.
“These agencies are looking toward assisting them in the process of production, processing and marketing of their products and skills.
“The NYSC management will stand by you at all times to secure the necessary funds to establish your own businesses.
‘’This will be done, especially through our collaboration with the Central Bank if Nigeria (CBN), Heritage Bank and Bank of Industry.
“I advise you to seize the opportunity provided by the SAED programme to empower yourselves with the necessary skills, job creation and generate wealth to rebuild the Nigerian economy.”
Earlier, Mr Salawu Abdulrazak, the NYSC FCT Coordinator, thanked the director- general for remaining focused and ensuring the availability of training materials for the training of the corps members.
He assured Kazaure that the materials had been put to good use in the training of the corps members in various skills programmes
Abdulrazak, however, appealed for director-general’s continued efforts for the scheme to attaining more public Private partnerships to provide corps members with the necessary skills and training materials to learn.
Mrs Teresa Anosike, the NYSC Director of SAED, said that over 1,500 corps members had been trained in various skills in 2016, adding that about 600 benefited from the loan facility of the scheme to start their businesses.
NAN reports that the NYSC SAED programme is usually held during the orientation course of the scheme and corps members are expected to acquire at least one skill during their service.
SAED programme involves two phases, the in-camp and post-camp.
Some of the skill areas corps members receive training include, Tailoring, Agro Allied and Farm Management, Make-up, Decoration, Barbing, Pain making and Solar Energy among other skills. (NAN)
KRY/KOLE/DUA
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Edited by Remi Koleoso/Dada Ahmed