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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The leadership of the Ijaw Youths worldwide, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has marked its second year in office with the enrolment of 301 youths from ijaw communities into Information and communications technology (ICT) scheme, declaring readiness to change ways of engaging authorities and oil multinationals for the development of the region.
The President of the IYC, Mr Peter Timothy Igbifa, while speaking during the official launch of the free ICT skill acquisition training program for Ijaw youths organized by the spokesman of the IYC Ebilade Ekerefe, noted that though the efforts of the leadership of the youth group has not been totally appreciated, it will continue to initiate empowerment schemes to uplift and empower youths of the region.
Igbifa also supported the ICT Scheme sum of one million naira, urging beneficiaries to remain focused and ensure that skills learnt are used for the benefit of the region.
In his remarks Ekerefe, said the scheme was initiated to change the narrative of the ijaw youths worldwide rather than adopting a repeated combatant approach which has yielded less results.
According to him, due to the digital age the Ijaw youths and the people of the region would not be left behind and allow oil multinationals to continue refusing to employ Niger Delta youths due to poor ICT knowledge.
He called on partnership between IYC and oil multinationals and investors in the region in the training and empowerment of youths in the region, declaring that such training discourage sea piracy, kidnapping and violent acts.
The President Ijaw National Congress (INC), Professor Benjamin Okaba, represented by the national Vice President, Chief Nengi James, commended the initiator of the ICT scheme and advocated for support from multinationals and other stakeholders of the region.
He called on ijaw indigenes and youths to take advantage of the ongoing online registration of ijaw into a digital compendium to keep the Ijaw National connected to the world.
Also speaking, the former President of the IYC and a Special Adviser on Youths to the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Engr. Udengs Eradiri called on governors from the region to come up with their own development program to save the calamity that is going to befall the region.
Eradiri, while commending the leadership of the IYC for the gesture, pointed out that the rapid changing world today requires that young people come to the table with capacity, adding that the basic principle and foundation of the Ijaw movement is to build the capacity of young people so that “we can take charge of our resource”
