By Vincent Ujumadu

Awka- Construction of a skills acquisition center being funded by the federal government to enable the youths acquire the necessary skills to make them self –reliant, has begun at Ifitedunu in Dunukofia local government area of Anambra State.

Ngige

Minister of labour and employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who flagged of the center at the weekend, said that ultimately, similar specialized centers would be built in every local government in all the 36 of the federation.

According to the minister, the project would be completed in three months, adding that funds for its execution were captured both in the 2017 and 2018 budget estimates.

He said that the centers were part of the drive of President Muhammadu Buhari to reduce unemployment among Nigerian idle youths, explaining that the type of center in each state would be determined by the degree of marketability in the area.

He said: “The good news is that Nigeria is assiduously working towards achieving significant and sustained reduction in the high unemployment rates in the country within a short time frame through well articulated strategies.

“Our focus on skills acquisition centers is due to the acknowledgement potential it has to create jobs and build capacities of beneficiaries to enable them become employers of labour within short maturation period.

“We are focusing on skills acquisition because of the trends in modern labour market demands for a growing country like Nigeria. Therefore, the specialized skills acquisition centers are designed to provide hands –on modern building and construction skills, including welding and fabrication to produce metal doors comparable to those currently imported from Turkey, painting, as well as Plaster of Paris (POP) installation.”

He explained that the project would be executed in three phases, adding that what was unique about the project was that it was rural based, thereby making it possible to have access to the majority of the relevant population.