NASRDA/GBB SKILLS ACQUISITION PROJECT: TEAM PANKUM SENSITIZES LOKOJA LG TRAINERS AND TRAINEES; ASSURES SMOOTH TAKE OFF
The Precious and Maureen MPCS Limited, in collaboration with Kogi United, has once again taken the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and Grassroots Bridge Builders (GBB) advocacy and sensitization project to Lokoja Local Government Area, the state capital of Kogi State.
The initiative, which aligns with President Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is designed to empower millions of Nigerians through skills acquisition training.
The event, held at the Women’s Event Centre in the Old Market area, attracted a large turnout of indigenes youths, men, and women eager to either acquire or share new skills.
As the sensitization for the kick-off of over eighty-five skills acquisition programmes mapped out by NASRDA/GBB begins, the people of Lokoja warmly received the PAMKUM team for direction and guidance to ensure an effective take-off and successful delivery.
The Director of Training, Ambassador Amos Lawal, emphasized the importance of timing, stressing that now is the right moment for Nigerian youths to embrace skill acquisition.
In a brief interaction with Lokoja coordinators, they expressed confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to empower youths through skills acquisition, describing it as an investment that remains valuable for life.
They added that it is always profitable to become your own boss.
According to the President of Kogi Unity Movement, Musa Sanni, the association commended the Kogi State Coordinator of NASRDA/GBB for bringing the project to the state.
He further revealed that their association already has a centre that will continue to serve as a training hub for youths, even beyond the tenure of the present administration.
The Kogi State Coordinator of NASRDA/GBB, Ambassador Ibrahim Rufus Usman, appreciated the National Coordinator, Ibrahim Moses Igoche, for his relentless effort to ensure no state is left behind.
Ambassador Ibrahim assured trainers and trainees that the federal government plans to reward dedicated trainers and empower successful trainees with work tools and starter packs.
In an interview, the President of the All Women in Agriculture Federation, Dr. Esther Audu, called on women to seize the opportunity, assuring all agriculture trainees of federal government support to join agro business and farming.
Dr. Audu also appealed to all trainees not to take this golden opportunity for granted.
Trainers including Yusuf Muhammed Sherif, Ambassador Emmanuel Ogukoh, Blessing Dauda, and Halimat Onize Ibrahim said they are prepared and urged beneficiaries to take the programme seriously.
According to Onize Ibrahim, skills remain the true pathway to freedom and wealth creation. She, alongside other trainers, appealed to the state government under Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to monitor the progress of the trainees and provide financial support for their start-ups.
A retired civil servant, Falilat Ibrahim Bismillahi, and Barrister Steven Yusuf Onuh described the programme as one of the best initiatives ever witnessed in Kogi State and Nigeria at large. They emphasized that self-employment is key to empowerment, reducing overdependence on scarce government jobs.
Barrister Onuh made reference to China, which has become a global economic power due to its resilience in training citizens to manufacture what they need, transforming into the world’s leading producer with a stable and growing economy.
He added that if Nigerian youths are positively engaged, the nation’s economy will grow while idleness and frivolities will be reduced. He urged NASRDA/GBB to collaborate more with the state government to expand training slots beyond the current 5,000.
Since its official launch in the state, the NASRDA/GBB and PAMKUM teams have continued touring senatorial districts across the state to inform, educate, and identify additional vocational areas not captured in the proposed list, in preparation for training programmes ranging from one month to over a year.
