Date: 2021-08-21

Chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KSUBEB), Prof. AbdulRaheem Adaramaja has urged the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state to pay attention to providing skills-based training for youths.

Adaramaja said equipping youths with skills was one way of eradicating poverty at the grassroots at the end of a week-long skills acquisition programme organised by the department of education, Ilorin South LGA.

No fewer than 150 youths graduated from the programme, which Adaramaja urged other councils to copy.

He said: "For the fact that the trainees went through the programme, endured and came out successfully is a thing of joy. I pray to Almighty God that you will all become employers.

"I urge other 15 local councils in the state to emulate this gesture. Councils nowadays need to do more of this. Councils should train youths to be self-dependent rather than depending on government.

"We have a lot of jobless youths scattered across the 16 local government areas of the state.

"Handing over N10,000 or N5,000 as a form of empowerment is not the best. The best of the best is this type of training, so that the beneficiaries will stand on their own and in the future become."

Council's Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) chair Zubair Sulu-Gambari said the aim of the programme is to eradicate poverty in the council and reduce "if not eradicate anti-social vices, among our youths."