No fewer than 100 Niger Delta Youths in Calabar on Thursday graduated from the Youth Empowerment Centre.

The youth were trained on how to assemble phones, I-Pads and other information technology gadgets.

The Supervising Minister for Niger Delta, Mr Darius Ishaku, while congratulating them,  expressed optimism that the knowledge acquired by the youth would make them self-reliant.

“Today the ministry has added 100 youths to the number already trained in the region.

“I advice you to utilise the new knowledge on ICT positively so that you can become self-reliant and create wealth and thereby contributing to national growth and development.

“The ICT training is different because the knowledge you gather will help you in assembling Smart Phones and Tablet Computers.

“The main objective is to teach the youth how to exploit their potential as computer experts,’’  he said.

He also said the ministry picked ICT-based training as a pilot project under the “Train and Engage Initiative” because ICT-based business initiatives are “gold mines” for youths empowerment.

“This type of initiative is a shift from the culture of simply training and letting the trainees off with little or no guarantee of engagement,” he said.

He said that President Goodluck Jonathan was poised to tackling the problem of shortage of manpower, especially in the oil and gas, ICT and other areas.

Mary Awa, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, promised that the trainees would  reciprocate government’s gesture and invest the grant in ICT business.

She commended the Federal Government for committing huge sums in their training as well as empowering them.

The Director, Community and Youth Empowerment in the ministry, Mrs Godiya Yohanna, said  the training of youths in the region was designed to create employment for non-militant youths.

Yohanna said  the ministry was working toward useful training that the beneficiaries would not have to look out there for employment. (NAN)

SOURCE: Leadership