Metro
Foundation trains over 600 vulnerable youths to acquire skills in 5 years
The Ladi Memorial Foundation (LMF) has given lifeline through training to over 600 vulnerable youths on skill acquisition, within the past five years the founder and Executive Director of the foundation Mrs Rosemary Osikoya, has said.
Osikoya who was former commissioner for education and later Environment in Kogi State said the foundation is aimed at empowering the youths and women to be self-reliant while providing them with a platform to acquire life-changing carrier coaching and mentoring.
“Since five years ago that the NGO has been in existence, we have been rendering vocational services to both in and out-of-school students at various levels.
“We have so far trained about 600 youth, most of them vulnerable in the society. We are helping them to access livelihood equipment and to give them hope,” she said.
Osikoya explained that 54 students in public school and dropouts were enrolled for the pilot public school co~curricular TVET Project, which was flagged off on July 8, 2021; while the club meetings commenced on July 26, 2021.
She said the trade skills taught were basic garment making for men, women and children; bag making, catering craft Practice: baking and confectionaries, and food preparation.
She added that the foundation provided the training free including consumables, equipment, learning tools, textbooks among others, and supported by generous individuals and organizations, which was acknowledged by the Schools’ TVET Champions 2021 Awards.
Osikoya stressed that most of those trained by the NGO were school drop-outs but were reintroduced to school, adding that, their self-esteem had increased.
“For this programme, we registered 54 people who went through our training for a period of six months. I am happy to announce to you that we are graduating 32 youths today.
“Skill helps to build and develop their personal capacity, which is the whole idea of the training.
”A total of 35 candidates were enrolled for NABTEB modular trade exams December 2021 in both JSS/GSS Pyakasa, Abuja, and out of school youths/women in Lokoja.
”The NABTEB modular trade Exams that were taken include: Baking and confectionaries, Food preparation, Pattern drafting, and Garment construction & finishing,” she said.
The executive director described the programme as a huge success considering the number of youths that it had helped to take off the street.
She, therefore urged educational institutions at various levels to adopt modules in skills acquisition, so as to equip students with skills that move them away from unemployment after school.
Other partners’ groups and individuals at the event also pledged their various commitments to supporting the co-curricullar TVET project.
The Vice Chairman LMF Board of Trustees, Engr. Kashim Ali, described the project as turning point, and noble and promising beginning for the young beneficiaries saying it would mark a positive turn in their journey in life.
Ali, who was a former COREN President, said the LMF remained committed to contributing positively to national development through quality human capacity development in the strategic areas of focus.
According to him, LMF is focusing on functional, practical skills for survival, livelihood improvements, entrepreneurship and employment which remains the bedrock of every national productivity, economic growth and personal fulfilment.
”Today’s event which brings us together presents a humble initiative to encourage TVET culture and strengthen integration of TVET certification in the formal education.
”It is a commendable feat bringing together various categories of stakeholders, forges linkages of cooperation and presents a new platform for focused partnership collaboration, mentorship and coaching everyone can buy into”, he said.
Ali expressed hope that the LMF Young Entrepreneurs’ Club (YEClub) Project experience and lessons learnt shared both today and afterwards would provide beneficial insight to education policy makers, administrators and other stakeholders.
Mr Yusuf Alli, the Managing Editor, Northern Operations of The Nation Newspaper, a Facilitator of the programme, commended the founder for the initiative, adding that, it would divert the attention of youths from societal ills.
“I came here to give my own support as a facilitator but when I saw the initiative, I was encouraged.”
The creativity, innovation and skills’ mastery demonstrated by students were judged by VIPs at the event, and the best talents were rewarded with various prizes depending on their skills’ categories.
The winners of the Garment making craft Student-preneurs category: First position- Favour Ifeanyi Chisom SS2 (female); Second position- Israeli Oloyede SS3 (male); and Third position & most improved student~preneur, Abubakar Akilu Hassan SS1 (male) of GSS Pyakasa, all got a Sewing machine each.
The winners of the Catering craft prizes in the studentpreneurs category: First position- Peace Daniel JSS3; Second position- Precious Noah Yahaya SS3; and Third position- Rachael Tojuola SS2, all female students of GSS Pyakasa.
The first (Peace Daniel), second (Precious Yahaya) and third (Rachael Tojuola) positions, received Gas cooker; Kenwood cake mixer; and a complete set of cooking pots respectively.
**As thugs loyal to Abure unleash mayhem on LP protesters from Edo
There seem to be no end in sight for the crises in the Labour Party as the Edo State chapter has officially ratified the suspension of the National chairman of the party, Julius Abure.
This was contained in a correspondent to the National Headquarters of the party titled: Ratification. Of the suspension from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Esan North qEast LGA, Edo State.
The letter which was signed by the chairman and secretary of the state chapter of the party, Com. Ogbaloi K.S.E State Chairman and Com. Akhere Frederick respectively and was copied INEC.
The Letter reads,
“Here forwarded to you and for your notification, the ratification of the suspension of Comr Barr. Julius Abure from the membership of Ward 3, Arue, Uromi, Esan North East LGA. Edo State.
“The State Executive Council, Labour Party, Edo State, comprising of the State Working Committee, the 18 Local Government Chairmen and the 18 Local Government Secretaries met on the 24” of May, 2024, at about 11:00pm, to consider the matters presented on the suspension of Comr. Barr. Julius Abure by his Ward in Arue, Uromi, Esan North East LGA, and the upholding of the suspension by the LGA Excos.
“After clinical analysis of the accusation, the Council found them weighty and further ratified and upheld the suspension.
Meanwhile, Thugs suspected to be loyal to the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), on Monday unleashed mayhem on Protesters believed to be LP supporters from the Edo State chapter who were at the party National secretariat to demand Abure’s ouster.
The anti- Abure protesters stormed the party headquarters in a number of vehicles holding placards and chanting solidarity songs.
No sooner than some of the protesters stepped out of one of the vehicles than the suspected thugs swooped on the vehicles with sticks and other objects forcing the drivers to zoom off.
A detachment of armed policemen and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) intervened when the thugs started throwing stones into the nearby Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, in pursuit of reporters who were convering the fracas.
The intervention of the security officials prevented the situation from further degenerating. A police vehicle is currently stationed in between the warring factions.
By our correspondent
The Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria (KYN) the umbrella body of Kuteb world wide has accused Gen. Theophilus Danjuma ((rtd) of deliberately distorting and inventing new history of Takum Chieftaincy to benefit his tribal people (Chamba)
Chief Emmanuel Ukwen, President General Kuteb Yantso of Nigeria stated this while addressing newsmen in Jalingo on Friday.
The accusation is coming after the recent appointment of HRH Bar. Sopiya Gboshi as chief of Takum who was presented with staff of office by Gov Agbu Kefas to succeed late Ukwe Ali Ibrahim kufang ll who died 28 years ago.
The Kuteb also accused Gen. Danjuma and his associates of making plans to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the ancestral palace of Ukwe Takum which had been located behind the Mosque.
Chief Ukwen recalled the recent speech presented by Dajuma during the coronation of the newly appointed chief of Takum against the Kuteb and late Ukwe Takum Ali Ibrahim was unjust and unacceptable.
“It is a pity that TY Danjuma referred to late Ukwe Ali Ibrahim as a very bad and terrible chief on flimsy reasons because he was a Kuteb man and a Muslim.
Record have it that late Ukwe Ali ibrahim was an honest and peace loving leader who ruled over the people of Takum from 1963 to 1996 and was adjuged by all as a leader with fear of God.
“We have uncovered a sinister move by Danjuma and his cohorts to force the State Governor to demolish the Takum Central Mosque and the Ukwe Takum Palace which is located behind the Mosque under the guise of Urban development.
“We want the whole world to know that the graves of our late Ukwes who reigned and died are in the palace.
“Any attempt by Danjuma and his cohorts to desecrate the tombs of our fathers will amount to cultural genocide,” he said.
The Kuteb leader also accused Danjuma of preaching peace in the public while he has secretly instigated and funded many crisis in his hometown, Takum.
The very recent was the sponsoring of Fulanis to wipe out over 200 Kuteb villages preparatory to the forceful installation of a Chamba Chief inorder to weaken and silence the Kuteb people in Takum.
“The Kuteb through Ukwe Takum ruled Takum from 1510 to 1996 uninterrupted by any other tribe, how comes Danjuma is forging history that the Kutebs are people from the hills? Ukwen questioned.
Meanwhile, Gen. Danjuma during the convocation of the Chief of Takum described the Kuteb people as troublesome and urged the State Governor, Kefas Agbu to be careful with the Kuteb people.
Forefront recalls that Kuteb Yatso of Nigeria shortly after the appointment of the new chief of Takum, vowed not to recognise the newly crowned chief Sopiya Gboshi from Chamba tribe.
The Kutebs vehemently vowed not to recognise the new Chief and would exhaust every legal means to recover their ancestral stool.
By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Kogi State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has confirmed the death of five persons in a fatal auto crash on Kabba-Obajana road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.
The State Sector Commander, Samuel Oyedeji, who confirmed the accident and death of the five to newsmen on Thursday in Lokoja said three others survived the accident with serious injuries.
Oyedeji attributed the accident which involved a Ford Galaxy space wagon and a Mazda car, to speeding and wrongful overtaking.
“The head-on collision between the two cars moving in the opposite directions happened due to speeding and wrongful overtaking by one of the drivers.
“We have been preaching against drivers flouting road safety rules and regulations, yet these motorists hardly heed our warnings.
“Five persons lost their lives in the fatal accident that left three others seriously injured,” he said.
The Sector Commander said that officers from the command immediately carried out a rescue operation at the scene of the accident and rushed the three injured persons to General Hospital, Kabba for medical attention.
Oyedeji said the remains of the five dead persons were also deposited at the mortuary of the Kabba General Hospital.
The Kogi Sector Commander admonished motorists to always endeavour to always obey road safety rules and regulations to avoid fatal auto crashes on the highways. (Ends)
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