Youth Empowerment: Akpabio hails Governor Emmanuel as 3000 Akwa Ibom youths acquire skills
Governor Udom Emmanuel will today officially flag off the training of 3000 Akwa Ibom youths in various skills acquisition including, oil and gas, agriculture, ICT and Business Education for Small and Medium Scale Enterprise.
The first batch of the trainees numbering 1000 have completed necessary documentation and will move to their various training centres after the flag off ceremony to be performed by the Governor.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Prince Ukpong Akpabio has hailed Governor Udom Emmanuel for investing massively in youth empowerment and in small and medium enterprise development.
In a message of felicitation made available to this reporter, the Commissioner praised the Governor for teaching Akwa Ibom youths how to fish through the Ibom 3000 initiative.
He posited that the Governor’s human capacity development will go down in history as one of the Governor’s best legacies for Akwa Ibom people.
“We at the Ministry of Trade and Investment are convinced that your human capacity development milestone through the Ibom 3000 project: Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME’s) capacity building, strategic skills acquisition and mentorship scheme will go down in history as one of your best legacies.
“Thank you for undertaking this is expensive investment on 1000 Akwa Ibom families in the first phase of the scheme. Accept our profound gratitude,” he added.
The training is targeted to accommodate 3000 youths, but due to Covid-19 protocol, the training has been divided into three phases of 1000 trainees for each batch, and the first set of trainees were selected on a “first come first serve” basis.
Know the training centers
Training centers are located in Mkpat-Enin, Ikot-Ekpene and Ibesikpo Asutan among other locations.
Those for Oil and Gas training will be camped at a training facility in Mkpat-Enin. The building which was built by a former Chairman of Mkpat-Enin, Ephraim Akpan was to serve as an Oil and Gas Academy. It was Previously overtaken by reptiles but renovated and remodeled by the Udom Emmanuel administration for it’s original purpose – Oil and Gas training.
Like an aide to the Trade and Investment Commissioner, Endiong John rightly puts, “It’s a farewell to Lagos and Port Harcourt for oil and gas training as Akwa Ibom has now been put in the map by the Oil and Gas training Center”.
Endiong said “For the first time in the history of Nigeria, Oil and gas training can now be done in Akwa Ibom State and this history has been made possible by the leadership of Governor Udom Emmanuel. As always, it was the Commissioner for trade and Investment, Prince Ukpong Akpabio that got the job done”.
