It was an uncommon gathering of youths on Wednesday 11th August, 2021 in Issele-Uku, the headquarters of Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State as the PDP Youth Wing under the leadership of Hon. Richard Anonyei, held its Maiden Retreat.
The retreat held at the Issele-Uku Unity hall with the theme, ” Entrepreneurs Today, Tomorrow Leaders: Place of Youth In The Stronger Delta Agenda,” had the State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as the Distinguished Special Guest of Honour with the State Commissioner for Youth Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga as the keynote Speaker.
Member representing Aniocha North State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Engr. Emeka Nwaobi, Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission and a renowned Political leader in the State, Chief Nkem Okwuofu, the State Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer, Prof Eric Eboh, the Senior Policy Adviser to the State Governor, Prof. Sylvester Monyei, Director-General, State Bureau of Orientation, Mr Eugene Uzum and the Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on Girl-Child Empowerment, Mrs Marilyn Daramola, and the Aniocha North PDP Chairman, Hon. Dr. Charles Ochei are amongst the dignitaries that graced the event that had over 6000 youths in attendance.
Declaring the retreat open, the State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by the State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu expressed delight over the massive mobilization of youths for the retreat and commended the organisers of the programme for the laudable initiative.
The Governor said that youths’ issues have been very central to the heart of his administration and added that youths endowed with skills as entrepreneurs were the leaders of contemporary and competitive global economy.
He stressed that strategic wealth creation, which was targeted at creating employment for the youths, was the best way to fight poverty by creating employment for able-bodied youths.
“Our administration believes that the youths are the leaders of today and not tomorrow, as most people believe.
“I am very happy over the array of resource persons you have assembled here today. Individuals who have had one role or the other to play as long as empowerment of the youth is concerned.
“I believe that those who thought it wise to put this programme together were not joking or playing politics.
“The party chairman mentioned earlier that after this programme, the youth would have learnt how to catch their own fish and not continually depend on someone to give them fish,’’ he said.
The governor added that what Nigeria had suffered as a nation was the idea of individuals who believed that one would “always bring fish to them and we have lost a lot of skilled manpower through this idea.
“But, moving forward, I am sure that this idea will change when wealth is circulated within our economy.
“When we came in as a government, we looked at it that employment does not mean employing people into government offices and paying them even when there are no vacancies.
“We introduced these programmes where individuals will become entrepreneurs. I want to tell you that the moment you are skilled, you are empowered and you will have the ability to take part in decision-making and being able to have a say.
“Poverty makes you afraid of the truth so that the man who will feed you does not change his mind. So, being trained and becoming an entrepreneur helps you to regain that freedom which democracy has given to you,” the Governor stated.
In his own remarks, the Member representing Aniocha North in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Engr. Emeka Nwaobi lauded the organization of the retreat and stressed the need for skills development and empowerment.
Nwaobi said that skills development and empowerment are critical elements in curtailing the menace of poverty and unemployment, saying that the training would go a long way in making the participants discover abundant opportunities that will make them great entrepreneurs.
He encouraged them to key into the Youth Development programmes of the State Governor by forming a cooperative society and register them with a view to accessing loans from the Agric Bank with minimal interest rates.
The Honourable member also promised to make available the sum of Five Million Naira to empower Fifty Aniocha North Indigenes through his Charity Foundation for the Poor, saying that the beneficiaries who come from poor homes, will be given One Hundred Thousand Naira each to start up a small scale business that has the potential to grow within a period of time.
Hon. Nwaobi’s financial commitment was sequel to a question he put across to the participants, if it was possible for someone to invest the sum of One Hundred Thousand Naira this year and in a couple of years, the Hundred Thousand Naira will roll into a million. The participants gave an affirmative answer to the question.
“Is it possible for us to put it into practice in Aniocha North by giving a youth One Hundred Thousand Naira and in a few years he will turn it over to a million,” Nwaobi again asked and they all answered in the affirmative. Consequently, Hon. Nwaobi decided to translate it into action by using 50 indigent Aniocha North Youths as a template.
“However, it comes with a condition that the people I will be concentrating on are those from very poor homes, the poorest among the poor, because I am going to pull the fund from my Charity Foundation for the Poor. So, I am not playing politics with it.
“I am strictly looking at the less privileged to assist them,” Nwaobi said, while revealing that his Foundation would be appealing to the State Chief Job and Wealth Creation Officer, Prof. Eric Eboh to use the paraphernalia of his office to monitor their investments for proper utilisation.
|
|
In a keynote address, the Commissioner for Youths Development in the state, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga, said that youths were the drivers of development in any economy, adding that their understanding of the role of youths in the scheme of things was key.
He pointed out that the Stronger Delta agenda of Okowa’s administration was aimed at developing the non-oil sector through up-scaling of wealth creation programmes for youths in the state.
Welcoming guests to the retreat earlier, PDP Youth Leader in Aniocha North, Hon. Richard Anonye, had said that youths were instrumental to achieving the Stronger Delta Agenda of the Okowa administration.
He said that the retreat provided an opportunity for youths to be enlightened and educated, adding that through the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills, they could become leaders who are instrumental in achieving a stronger Delta Agenda.
The retreat, which was anchored by the Executive Assistant Legal to the State Governor, Hon. Barr Andrew Odum, featured panel discussion, interactive sessions as well as questions and answers.
Also at the event was the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, and the State Youth Leader, Delta State and the Executive Assistant to the State Governor on ICT, Hon. Odinigwe Odigie, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Health Monitoring, Dr. Michael Nwoko and former Chairmen of the Local Government, Hon. SPC Aniamaka and Hon. Chuks Oseme.
