By PATRICK ABANG, Calabar –
Towards the actualization of its mandate of poverty alleviation, employment generation and wealth creation, the National Directorate of Employment has commenced the implementation of its Community Based Business Training Scheme (CBBTS) for unemployed youths in Cross River State.
The NDE Director General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, flagged off the orientation ceremony of the scheme at town hall of Adiabo lkot Mbo Community, Odukpani LGA of the state.
Malam Fikpo, in his keynote address reiterated that: “It is in line with the mandate of the NDE which is geared towards providing gainful self employment to the teeming unemployed youths of the country that among other schemes, the National Directorate of employment through the Special Public Works Department (SPW) has designed the CBBTS whose objective is to take the training of unemployed youths to the doorstep of communities across the country in trendy skills with a view to making them to start businesses of their own.
Represented by the state Coordinator of the NDE Cross River State, Mr Udam Gabriel Ugbashi, the DG added that the NDE has carefully selected three trendy skills for the implementation of the CBBTS Scheme in Adiabo lkot Mbo which include fashion designing, hair dressing and GSM repairs.
Earlier in his welcome address, the state Coordinator informed the beneficiaries to consider themselves lucky since it is only their community that was selected in the entire state for the implementation of the CBBTS, which seeks to take the training to the doorsteps of the trainees.
The Coordinator, who was represented by the Head of Department of the Rural Employment Promotions Department of the NDE, Mr Michael Ugbong ,added that by taking the CBBTS scheme to the communities, the trainees have an added advantage of not having to pay any transportation fare to their places of work as the training is cited in close proximity to the various areas of abode.
In his goodwill message to the trainees, the Clan Head of Adiabo Community, Chief Colonel Joseph Edet, admonished the trainees to give the training the seriousness it deserves in order to justify the huge investment of the Federal Government on the scheme.
A beneficiary of the Scheme, Miss Sarah Ekpeyong, who spoke on behalf of others, thanked the Federal Government for finding them worthy to be part of the exercise.
She promised that they will put in their best to make sure that the investment of the Federal Government in the exercise is not wasted.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.