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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Osisioma community in Oguta Ameshi, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, has embarked on empowerment projects that would provide skills and capacity to thousands of youths in the community, thus making them self-reliant.
The community leaders explained that the youth empowerment projects were expected the provide opportunities for over 5,000 youths annually, to harvest huge opportunities in technology in such areas as programming, digital marketing, copywriting and product management, among others.
The youths, according to the leaders, would also be exposed to opportunities in agriculture and allied processing as well as in the creative art industry, which includes making of bags, shoes, clothes and other opportunities in fashion.
Pastor Kingsley Nduka, chairman of the Otu Osisioma Age Grade, told journalists at a dinner to share the project idea with sons and daughters of Oguta in Abuja that the project has received the support and backing of prominent persons in the community, including Senator Osita Izunaso, who represents Orlu Senatorial District in the National Assembly, and former Imo State deputy governor, Gerald Irona, among other businessmen and philanthropists within and outside Nigeria.
He explained that Otu Osisioma Age Grade has championed various developmental initiatives since inception, including periodic free medical outreach to the aged, tree planting around the community, hoisting street signage and running a scholarship trust fund for indigent students.
He said: “We equally give towards ‘teacher’s support’, an initiative towards hiring teachers, particularly for our primary schools, where government’s support hasn’t been adequate. Our conviction has remained that government cannot play the role of effective governance, if the burden of its constituents is fully borne by it.
“Unfortunately, youth restiveness has been on the increase in the communities. Various agitations have introduced insecurity to our once-peaceful community. In order to stem this tide, we have elected to build Osisioma Oasis, a multipurpose complex that will accommodate a vocational training institute, an ICT centre and several other value chain social amenities that will bring about mass employment, while equally positioning our youths for training in ICT, making them employable.”
Nduka said the objective of the project was to reduce unemployment and underemployment in Oguta and by extension Orlu Senatorial zone, by providing gainful employment to the youths, thereby reducing all the various social vices associated with young people.
“The immediate plan, however, is to begin operations in a rented space with an anticipated pilot phase to train a minimum of 1,000 selected applicants but the target will be to reach a minimum of 5,000 women and youths annually,” he volunteered.
Chairman of the Osisioma Oasis board, Callista Azogu, said the projects, particularly the ICT components, were dear to her because they were the skills most needed in the labour market, hence they were designed to provide youths with the skills and toolkits that would help them compete favorably in the global labour market.
She said: “The world is ruled by technology, and the better you know (skills), the higher you earn. Many Nigerians are securing offshore jobs, working remotely for various international organisations from their local base and earning in dollars and other foreign currencies. That’s what we want for our youths and we are determined to achieve that with the level of support we have received since the idea was conceived.
“This will help us build useful population that would contribute meaningfully to the society and build our communities. We have contacted several reputable technology organisations that would help train these youths and also connect them with jobs and opportunities abroad.”
She said the desire of the project was the make Oguta the ICT hub of the South East and, possibly, Nigeria, from where the ICT “revolution” in Nigeria could start.
Izunaso, who was present at the meeting, commended the leaders of Oguta Ameshi for the laudable initiative, promising to support the effort that would, expectedly, empower the people of his senatorial zone.
While he acknowledged that insecurity was a big challenge in communities in Orlu zone, he noted that several measures were being taken by the state and federal government to tackle the issue of insecurity, adding that the youth empowerment programme was one of the measures.
He looked forward to working with concerned stakeholders to support the initiative and boost job creation in Oguta and entire Orlu senatorial zone.
“We are confident that we can meet the challenges ahead, and stand ready to partner with all in delivering this initiative,” he said.
Irona described the project as a laudable one because of its ability to liberate the people, making them global citizens and self-reliant.
He said: “For instance, ICT has redefined the workspace, thus enhancing efficiency and promoting accountability. It’s our desire for our youths to be armed with the necessary skills and capacity to be relevant in today’s world, and that’s the objective behind the project.”
Deputy Comptroller General, Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), Sly Nwakauche, who is a native of the community, commended the leaders of the association for the initiative, particularly in the area of ICT, which, he said, has greatly changed the world for good.
He challenged the youths to key into the programme, develop themselves and acquire the needed skills to be self-reliant, economically and otherwise.
