Ubani Newman Ubani
#AbiaOnline
One of the visions of the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is to empower the Abia people and residents to improve the economy his people.
In line with his commitment to develop Abia State, Dr. Ikpeazu, on assumption of duty as the fourth democratically elected Governor of the State kick started his empowerment programmes through the establishment and launched of Education for Employment (E4E) scheme in September, 2015. The E4E as a scheme aims at training youths on several skill acquisitions and has already graduated 460 youths who received certificates from the National Board for Technical Education.
The initiative has attracted many partners, including the African No1 billionaire – Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who promised to partner with Ikpeazu in ensuring maximum participation of Abia youths in various local government areas.
The recent ground-breaking ceremony of the Dangote Education for employment (E4E) Job Centre at Okpuala Ngwa in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of the State marked the beginning of the fulfillment of Alhaji Dangote’s promise.
The attraction of the interests of developmentally inclined men like Dangote and the construction of the Job Centre has given a boost to the pledge of the Ikpeazu led administration to offer technical and vocational education training to 100 thousand youths in the State.
Worthy to note is that, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s ingenuity made Abia to become the host State for South East Entrepreneur Development Centre, which train people in Micro, Small & Medium-Scale Enterprises for the entire South-East. Recall that during the training for the CBN revolving loans for the entrepreneurs, held at the Women’s Development Centre, Umuahia, the Governor donated one million naira to those undergoing the CBN assisted skill acquisition under the South East Entrepreneur Development Centre.
Recently, the State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu assured the graduands of the empowerment programme of the Executive Chairman of Isialangwa North, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, that Abia State government will purchase with five hundred thousand Naira each, the products of the first ten persons among them. That gesture certainly serves as another form of encouragement and morale booster to the entrepreneurs.
It is note worthy that the Governor did not just introduce the artisans to the modern shoe and garment-making but has taken it upon himself to lead the campaign beyond Nigeria and African sub-region. When the Job Centre will have been completed, it would become a cynosure of all empowerment centres in Nigeria.
During the ground-breaking ceremony, the Deputy Governor of the State conveyed the message of the Governor to the people of the State, where he maintained that Abia State would leave no stone unturned to ensure that it is replicated across the LGAs, while the representative of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Mr. Charles Omerah appreciated Governor Ikpeazu’s efforts and congratulated him.
Also recently, the State Commissioner for Youth Development, Chief Ike Anyataonwu visited the centre for inspection. While on the inspection, he commended Alhaji Dangote for his decision to build the E4E centre in support of Governor’s efforts in empowering the youths and urged him to do more. He called on other investors and well meaning Abians to take cue from Dangote, come back to Abia State and invest saying that the time of people coming to the State to boast of their investments outside the State is over.
The Isislangwa North LG boss, Chief Ginger O. Onwusibe, represented by his Vice and Mr. Endi Ezengwa, the C.E.O saluted the introduction of E4E to the State by the Governor.
As the chief marketer of the ‘Made-in-Aba’ and Abia campaign, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has ensured that the products Abia artisans produced be showcased in many trade fairs even in New York. This of course has given great hope to the youths, who are now empowered for life. This would also be the lot of the trainees of E4E. Indeed, Abia State under the able leadership of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is in good hands and should continue to be in good hands even beyond 2019.
It has therefore become imperative for all hands to be on deck in supporting this genuine effort of the Governor in changing the narrative of entrepreneurship and empowerment in Abia, the God’s own State.
SUPPORT GOVERNOR IKPEAZU FOR SECOND TENURE.
UNU,
11/05/2018.
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