Lokoja – The Managing Director of Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) Alhaji Sadiq Yelwa has declared open a training programme for 600 selected youths in Lokoja, Kogi State.
At the opening of the HYPPADEC Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) , Yelwa said it was the commission’s desire to improve the living standard of Nigerian’s teeming youths across the six HYPPADEC states.
The Managing Director who was represented by the commission’s Director of Administration and Finance, Mr. Gabi Haruna noted that the HYPPADEC Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) is a project designed by the Commission in collaboration with other critical stakeholders.
He listed the stakeholders to include the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), and the Minna Institute of Technology and Innovation (MITI).
He said the objective was to take over 5,000 youths off the streets via life changing
skill acquisition training programme.
Yelwa said the intention was to give the targeted youths opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities and to contain the risen cases of insecurity and other criminal activities in the society.
The State HYPPADEC Coordinator, Joan Oguche said in a speech that the youth transformation programme wad part of the overall efforts of HYPPADEC at providing developmental projects and empowerment initiatives to the riverine communities across the six HYPPADEC member states.
“The aim of the Youth Transformation Programme is to empower and equip our teeming jobless youths with various trades in order to reduce poverty, redundancy and unemployment which will in turn encourage, self reliance and economic productivity in the six HYPPADEC States,” She said.
She stated that the curriculum covers ten different trades which includes ; tailoring/fashion and designing, fish farming, poultry farming, baking and confectionary, shoe and bag making, computer appreciation, cosmetology, barbing and hair dressing saloon and event management/decoration.
The Coordinator also appealed to both master trainers and the trainees to be committed to the exercise so that the effort of the Federal Government would not end in waste.
Dignitaries present at the opening of the training programme are the Commissioner for youths and sports Idris Musa, the Commissioner for Environment, Victor Omofaiye, Director of Community and Rural Development, HYPPADEC, represented by Mallam Zakari Muhammed, Assistant Director, Audit, HYPPADEC, Hajiya Salamatu and the Kogi State Coordinator of National Directorate of Employment Mallam Zakari Abubakar. (vitalnewsngr.com)
