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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
A House of Representatives member for Enugu North/Enugu South Federal Constituency, Chimaobi Atu, has asked governments, at all levels, to deploy skills acquisition in fighting the increasing wave of crime in Nigeria, including insecurity.
The lawmaker, who decried the rate of unemployment in the country, said youths form the larger part of the nation’s workforce while reiterating the popular saying that ‘an idle mind is the devil’s workshop’.
Atu spoke in Enugu, yesterday, at the flag-off of a five-day training and empowerment programme he organised in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture for 150 SS3 students and fresh school leavers in his constituency on making and marketing of chemical products such as soaps, detergents and germicides.
He cited the recent projection by KPMG and NBC that by the end of 2024, unemployment will rise to over 40.6 per cent, emphasising that “if we fail to do something very fast, it may even rise to 50 per cent by 2026. This is not good for any country that is ready to end multi-dimensional poverty and crime.”
He said as a member of the defence committee in the National Assembly, he was aware that the crime rate will continue to rise in the country except the young population were trained and empowered.
“When our young ones are not equipped with skills, they will certainly become a tool in the hands of crime promoters. Make no mistakes, there is a strong relationship between lack of skills and crime. Some of these criminal elements were recruited because they were not busy with anything. If you are busy, nobody can talk you into crime. This explains why I have continued to invest in education and training,” he said.
The legislator urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity, disclosing that another set of 100 young people will be trained on renewable energy next month.
Head, Accreditation and Curriculum Department, Centre for Management and Developmen, Abuja, Francis Iyanga, who was represented by Haruna Marouk, said the entrepreneurial skills programme was in line with the strategies of the Federal Government towards wealth creation and poverty reduction in Nigeria.
