PCNI Empowers 400 Youths from Conflict Zones

PCNI Empowers 400 Youths from Conflict Zones

Daji Sani in Yola

The Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI) saturday disclosed that it had empowered at least 400 youths from different communities ravaged by Boko Haram, noting that the beneficiaries were trained in entrepreneurship, digital graphics design and repairs of smart phone.

The Vice Chairman of PCNI, Mr. Tijjani Tumsa made the disclosure at the inauguration of the PCNI ICT Resource Centre at the Federal College of Education (FCE) in Yola, the Adamawa capital.

Tumsa, who was represented by the PCNI State Coordinator, Mr. Hamman Bello said the North-East ranked the lowest in ICT across all regions of the country.

He said the resource centres were established “to bridge this glaring gap adding that the objectives was also to improve access to information technology in the North-East.

“The 400 youths, who benefitted from the seven-month programme were drawn across the six states of the restive region. It is to make the people of the region ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency to be self-productive and economically independent

“The programme was designed to inculcate much needed skill in the people of the North-east, especially between 18 and 45 years. During the programme all participants would be trained on a number of different modules.”

He said the participants “will first be trained on entrepreneurship and computer appreciation after which they would be divided into two groups.

While one of the groups will be trained on digital graphics design, the other will be trained on Smartphone repairs depending on their individual preferences and capacities.

“As we are graduating 400 young people, we are lunching another set for the training programme today. It is belief that the programme will lead to the establishment of a safe, secure and prosperous region that is a major asset to Nigeria and a global model for post-conflict socio-economic recovery and development.”

He explained that skill “is pathway to prosperity and personal development. Skills is a driver of growth. With the right skill, people are better prepared for active citizenship. They have a better chance of finding and keeping a good job and they are better equipped to set up their own business and in turn create jobs for other.”

Also at the inauguration, Adamawa State Governor, Senator Jibrilla Bindow explained that when we provide definite skill in relevant endeavour to young people, we are empowering them to do great things in the future.

Bindow, who was represented by Dr, Agoso Bamaiyi, said any society that does not invest in its young people did not have a great future because an individual greatness lays the greatness of our nation.

He urged the beneficiaries to justify these resources that were invested on them by PCNI, adding that the Bindow administration was in support of the training programme.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Hawa Paul who hails from Chibok town, where the Boko Haram insurgency had kidnapped over 200 school girls in 2014, said she “is the first to know how to repair smart phone in her locality presently.”

With aid of PCNI, the beneficiary said she would prefer “to establish her own business than work for monthly salaries. My colleagues and I will make use of the skill we acquired to cause development in our immediate localities and beyond.”

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