The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has assented to a bill establishing the state’s skills development initiative, EdoJobs, as an agency, as part of moves to deepen government’s commitment to expanding opportunities for skills development and jobs creation for residents in the state.
Obaseki noted that the state government is fully committed to providing more opportunities for youths to make positive choices, adding that Edo State is collaborating with Delta State Government to set-up a Bendel Development Commission to serve as a platform for the joint development of Edo and Delta states.
Speaking while commissioning the Centre for Edo Delta Development Initiative (CEDDI) Skills Acquisition Hub in Benin City, the governor said he signed the bill establishing EdoJobs Agency on May 31, 2019.
He assured that resources would be deployed to enable the agency to develop more skills acquisition centres across the state, noting that there are about 537 registered skills acquisition centres in the state with many of the centres not able to bridge the skills gap in the state.
“The state government will be taking a holistic look at the whole issue of skills for jobs in Edo,” he noted.
Obaseki commended the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe, for initiating the CEDDI skills acquisition centre, adding that investing in human capacity was the way to go in repositioning the Nigerian economy.
He said his administration would separate the junior secondary schools from senior secondary schools so that the former would focus on vocational training and skills acquisition.
The Iyase of Benin and General Grand Beacon of CEDDI, Chief Sam Igbe, urged parents to assist their children in planning and building credible career paths as well as making choices that will enable young people become entrepreneurs or more employable in future.
He noted that the beneficiaries from the centre who have completed their training have established their businesses and become employers of labour.
Chairman of the occasion, Chief David Edeberi, said through the CEDDI initiative, many persons have been trained in various trades. He congratulated Chief Igbe for the initiative, which has helped in alleviating poverty in Edo and Delta states.
The Supervisory Beacon of CEDDI, Mr Nosasu Edigin, said the Non-Governmental Organisation was established in 2012 to combat poverty and diabetes in Edo and Delta states.
Edigin said the NGO promotes skills acquisition and embarks on awareness campaigns on diabetes in Edo and Delta states.
At the event, Captain Hosa Okunbo was inducted as CEDDI’s new Grand Beacon, as he called for the creation of empowerment opportunities for youths to succeed in life.
