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By Ademola Adegbite, Ibadan

NIGERIAN Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has trained about 500 youths on Global System for Mobile communications, GSM, and repairs in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The training was facilitated by Senator Teslim Folarin, representing Oyo Central Senatorial District and Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content through the office of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engineer Simbi Kesiye Wabote.

Folarin, while flagging off the training at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, said the programme was designed to empower thousands of youths with a lifetime opportunity.

Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, whose message was delivered by a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state, Hon. Mojeed Olaoya, therefore, charged the beneficiaries to be more serious with the training.

He said, “we are here for the purpose of empowering our youths in repairs of GSM phones and maintenance, and about 500 youths have been mobilized to benefit from this programme and after the one-month training, they will be empowered with starter packs like laptops and money to start their own businesses.”

In an interview with newsmen shortly after the flag-off, the General Manager, Research, Statistics and Development of NCDMB, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, also corroborated Folarin’s claims, saying the beneficiaries would be introduced into a cooperative union to enable them to have access to loan and other benefits.

“This is a good programme most especially at this crucial time, it is a way of taking away our youths from the streets, taking them out of poverty.

“Most of them are graduates from various universities across the country, some of them even have Master’s Degrees and today some of them are into fish farming and they are doing well in their farms. So my charge to the participants is that they should see this training as an opportunity, and they should take it more serious, they should not take it with levity.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the consultant of the training programme, Mr. Yakub Adelakun said: “We want the participants to be self-employed and the only thing that is viable in Nigeria today is vocational training.

“We are very optimistic that the skills acquired during the training will make the participants to stand out and make them employers of labour, it will give them that edge over others, the participants should have it at the back of their minds that we are giving them the best of the best training here. They will learn about the software and the hardware, we will also link them to the GSM superpower technicians and also we will create an enabling environment for them to be able to make better use of the skills they’ve learnt.” He assured.

Speaking with newsmen, one of the participants, Mr. Jimon Nurudeen Abiodun from Ona Ara Local Government area of the state said, “I am so grateful to Senator Teslim Folarin for this training opportunity, even with my disability I was still given an opportunity to be among the beneficiaries.

“I am an Higher National Diploma, HND, graduate of Accounting from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, but I don’t have a job, so for me to be among these trainees of GSM phone repair facilitated by Senator Folarin, I am so happy and I promise to make good use of the training and the empowerment scheme for betterment of myself and the general public at large.” He promised.

Another beneficiary, Miss Oladimeji Olaitan said, “I feel excited and I see this training as a great opportunity for me. I really appreciate Senator Folarin for this opportunity and I urge my colleagues to make good use of this opportunity.”