RAYMOND OZOJI
The Commissioner for Youth Development in Anambra State, Mr. Patrick Aghadinuno Mba, has said that the plethora of youth empowerment programmes domiciled in the Ministry of Youth Development are not mere political statements but statements of fact because Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo is determined to end touting through creation of one thousand youth millionaires every year.
The Youth Commissioner, who disclosed this to our correspondent in his office at Government House Awka, said Governor Soludo’s youth-friendly disposition is reflected in his plans and programmes for youths in the state because the governor has shown real commitment to teach as well as mentor Anambra youths on how to be their own boss through systematic apprenticeship programmes and other opportunities available in the ministry.
Mba stated that the governor’s manifesto was clear in the creation of ten thousand jobs for youths through empowerments every year and one thousand youth millionaires annually in the life of his administration. He said that the Ministry of Youth Development has been given the mandate to design an action plan for the actualisation of the policies on youth development in Anambra state.
According to him, the governor’s words were not mere political statements as evident in the 2022 Revised Budget where youth development had over two billion naira, adding that the Ministry was working assiduously to ensure that the policy agenda on youth development was delivered in accordance with the overall objective of taking them off the streets.
He said the governor believes very strongly that youth agenda was a priority any responsible government should not treat with levity and nonchalance instead such priority should be treated with utmost respect as he believes too that youths were responsible stakeholders in the business of governance and administration.
Mba said government is targeting every aspect of youth development as it relates to talent hunts and apprenticeship; that government would engage about four thousand youths in the first phase of the apprenticeship programmes in twenty different profitable skills. That another area government would focus on is entrepreneurship development where youths would be tutored on how to write business plans and a host of other skills.
The Commissioner also stated that government intends to use what he mentioned as Bottom-Top Approach where government takes the programmes to the communities to close the gap between community dwellers and government which he observed was the remote reason responsible for the misunderstanding between government and the governed.
Mba noted that the governor has made provisions for start-up funds and kits for trainees through the Ministry of Youth Development and that the Anambra State Small Business Development Agency (ASSBA) would come in handy for business expansion.
He reiterated the fact that government would provide the seed money for trainees to start their businesses while efforts would be intensified towards value re-orientation of youths to enable them embrace government policies and programmes.