The President of Nigeria’s Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has disclosed that 10,000 youths from the Niger Delta region of the country would be selected for different skill acquisitions.
He confirmed that each would be paid N50,000 in the course of the training.
Akpabio, who spoke during the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Executive Management Engagement with Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities, and selected stakeholders in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, declared that the proposed nation-wide protests by some youths would not take place in the nine states of the Niger Delta, saying the region was a protest-free zone.
He said the skills acquisition programmes are designed to improve lots of the youths.
“The first phase’s beneficiaries will receive N50,000 each month and have no incentive to participate in the protest.”
Akpabio stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was committed to developing the Niger Delta region.
He said the region has confidence in the administration of President Tinubu, adding that the people of the region have no reason to join the public protest.
He noted that following a presidential directive, the NDDC recently inaugurated five flagship projects covering roads, bridges, and electricity across the region.
He commended the NDDC for restoring some damaged sections of the East-West Road and assured that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project would not only commence from Lagos but would also start simultaneously from the Niger Delta.
Also speaking, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, remarked that the people of the Niger Delta region had since transited from militant agitation to intellectual struggle, noting that the region was now reaping the benefits of the struggles.
“We have given more opportunities and hope to Niger Delta youths through our Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement, HOPE, meant to identify the interests of the youths for skills training.
He said that the Project HOPE had helped the Commission to develop a comprehensive digital repository, comprising important information about the youths of the Niger Delta region; including their qualifications, skills, interests, needs, and current employment status.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, National President of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Dr. Emmanuel Ibok Essien, President of Ijaw Youth Congress, IYC, Jonathan Lokpobri, Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo, and Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Sam Ogbuku, were among the attendees.
