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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Two non-governmental organisations, the Ochima Foundation and the Barrister Sam Otoboeze Foundation (BSOF), have advocated the proper engagement of youths in a productive manner, instead of the use of brute force as a panacea for the escalating criminalities and insecurity in Nigeria.
The foundations, which blamed increase in crime and recurring youth restiveness on the economic and socio-political problems in Nigeria, enjoined government to incorporate youths into the growth plan of the nation.
Speaking during the recent training of 125 youths at Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Sam Otoboeze, president of BSOF, said the two foundations were on a mission to train youths in skills and capacity-building in order to flatten the curve of insecurity in the country.
While speaking on the theme of the training, “Poverty alleviation training to curb insecurity in Nigeria (PATCIN),” Otoboeze discouraged youths from engaging in drug abuse and crime, but to, rather, commit themselves toward productive ventures and guarantee a secure future for themselves.
He equally informed the participants that 90 per cent of the beneficiaries of the PATCIN project in 2021 are already employers of labour, adding that the foundations’ team of experts would go through the business plans submitted by this year’s participants to select those who would merit the grants.
He said: “The growth of the youth population in the country is on a geometrical progression, while the growth of opportunities for employment is on an arithmetical regression rate vis-a-vis the flattening capacity of the security agencies to contain incidents of crime in Nigeria. In any case, brutal force will never provide the ultimate solution to restore the country to a safe and secure country.
“What will solve the problem is to engage the youths in a more productive manner and increase the economic fortunes of the country.”
A member of Board of Trustees (BoT) of Ochima Foundation, Igwe Emma Ugwu, challenged the youths to discover themselves by working in partnership with God to reveal their destinies.
The traditional ruler equally urged the youths to eschew crime and criminalities, get-rich-quick syndrome and other social vices, urging them to work hard in their chosen endeavours for prosperity.
Organisational manager of BSOF, Erica Okibe, explained that apart from the grants, ranging from N100, 000 to N350, 000 which the foundations give to beneficiaries, they also mentor and give skills training to ensure that their businesses grow.
Okibe equally said that the BSOF embarks on monitoring and evaluation of the beneficiaries to ensure that they do not derail from the goals of the foundation and also to guide their businesses for growth.
Earlier, the keynote speaker, Ikechukwu Agu, enjoined the participants to maintain consistency of thought and action in order to succeed in their businesses.
While speaking on the topic, ‘believe in yourself,’ he urged the participants to have a “typical day,” urging them to “have a plan, write it down, check it, challenge yourself to be different.” He also said that discipline is a key factor for the success of any human endeavour.
Some of the participants, Nnabueze Okenyi and Nneka Isiwu, thanked Otoboeze for coming to the rescue of the youths through his PATCIN project. They said that the training has empowered them with the basic entrepreneurship knowledge and equally changed their mentality on security consciousness and financial astuteness. According to them, althe trainings from security agents and business experts have equipped them to face future challenges.
