FG to empower 100 Niger Delta youths

The Federal Government, has said it would ensure that the 100 Niger Delta youths, who have just returned from Israel, are given adequate empowerment in the country.

The youths had received an intensive agricultural training at the ISAC Agricultural Centre, in Galilee, Israel.

Speaking yesterday, in Abuja during a reception held in honour of the youths, the Supervising Minister of Niger Delta Affairs,  Darius Ishaku, stated that youth empowerment was a cardinal objective towards the development of agriculture in the region.

Ishaku assured that the ministry would not hesitate to link the 100 youths to micro finance institutions to enable them access loan that would assist them in their various endeavours.

He said: “It is our intention that we continue to midwife this skill acquisition to a logical conclusion. We shall ensure that all of you are provided with the opportunity to harness your skills for the benefit of the country and your individual empowerment.

“We are also going to liaise with your respective state governments on how you can be absolved in the services of your various states.

“We will ensure that this is effected because there is no way the Federal Government can tackle the problem of unemployment or skill acquisition alone.” He stated that the ministry had designed a post-skill training empowerment, that would help the youths to acquire lands and  expressed hope that the respective state governments would  give the youths, the necessary assistance.

Responding, the president of the group, Emmanuel Azubuike, said the initiative  of the ministry to train the Niger Delta youths in skill acquisition, was one of the best decisions ever made,

adding that the development of the Niger Delta region was a collective one.

Azubuike said: “Collectively, we shall develop the region. We are all ready to diversify the economy of the region so that the region will not depend on oil alone. We want to see the agricultural sector of the region grow.”