Segun Awofadeji in Gombe
Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, yesterday attended an international forum and the formal launch of Integrated Regional Human Capital Development Strategy document organised by the National Economic Council (NEC) in Abuja.
The stakeholders’ engagement presided by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had in attendance leaders in the public and private sectors across the ECOWAS sub-region, including the Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau, Vice President of ECOWAS Commission among others.
The governor was particularly acknowledged as a champion of human capital development, especially for his efforts in tackling the menace of out-of-school children and the Almajiri syndrome.
However, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who spoke on behalf of the Nigerian governors, said: “I am happy my brother Governor Inuwa is here. He is doing wonderfully in addressing the Almajiri and out-of-school children issues in Gombe State, and I believe my other colleague-governors too. All of us are committed to the human capital development, and we identify with this laudable initiative.”
Gombe State Government was the first to key into the federal government ARC-P project and other existing social intervention programmes tailored towards finding and implementing local solutions to the menace of out-of-school children.
According to a statement issued by Ismaila Uba Misilli, the director-general
Press Affairs, Government House, Gombe, which was made available to journalists yesterday, Governor Yahaya, while unveiling the ARC-P in Gombe, said the project would also reduce poverty and provide job opportunities to the teeming unemployed youths.
“Addressing this phenomenon will no doubt help to reduce poverty and insecurity as well as address the health, educational and social challenges facing the target group,” he stated.
Yahaya said his administration would continue to make good use of the opportunities offered by ARC-P to safeguard the rights, welfare and wellbeing of vulnerable children and youths in the state.
Under the programme, Gombe State has so far completed the recruitment and training of 500 youth facilitators across various skills around the seven pillars of ARC-P.
The government has also engaged the first batch of 500 youths under Gombe State Security, Traffic and Environmental Corps (GoSTEC) trained on different categories in the areas of security, traffic and environmental tasks in close collaboration with statutory security agencies.
