Mr Joseph Ari, the Director-General of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), says wealth creation is a veritable strategy to ‎ address socio- economic problems plaguing the nation.‎

Ari, represented by Malam Abubakar Bungudu, an official of ITF, made the observation at the graduation ceremony of 500 trainees of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) on Friday in Minna.

NAN reports that ‎the beneficiaries were trained in three trade areas of beads making, carpentry and aluminum works.

“If we must address some of the socio-economic vices ‎in the nation such as kidnappings, assassination, armed robberies and terrorism, militancy, then the issue of wealth creation must be properly addressed.

“Technical and vocational skills acquisition is a veritable strategy for deploying sustainable solutions to redress these vices,” he said.
According to him, the NISDP is a capacity building initiative‎ aimed at actualising the diversification agenda of the Federal Government.

He said that 500 youths were trained in each state and 1,100 youths in Borno.

Ari called on Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision for rapid industrialisation and economic diversification‎.

The Area Manager of ITF in Minna, Mrs Ifeoma Ihezue, said the trainees were drawn from the three senatorial zones in the state, adding that the youths had been equipped with skills to start their own businesses.

Ihezue appealed to financial institutions to grant the trainees special concessions to enable them access loans to start and grow their businesses.

She urged the trainees to put to good use the skills and knowledge they had acquired to fast-track the rapid industrialisation and sustainable development of the country.

Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Miss Blessing Yerima, said that she had learnt no fewer than 30 designs in beads making. (NAN)