“We Have Invested Over ₦4bn in Skills Training, Empowered 1,662 Youths” — Radda

TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, says his administration has invested more than ₦4 billion in vocational training and equipped 1,662 youths with practical skills and tools to start their own businesses.

Radda made this known on Monday at the second graduation ceremony of the Katsina Youth Craft Village, saying the initiative was aimed at reducing unemployment and helping young people become financially independent.

The governor said the graduates had received training in more than 15 trades, including tailoring, welding and fabrication, carpentry, electrical installation, computer repairs, information and communication technology, catering, cosmetology, plumbing and automobile repairs.

He explained that the state government had renovated and equipped the institution to deliver practical training that meets current industry needs.

Radda said the programme went beyond issuing certificates, as each graduate was also provided with start-up tools and equipment to help them put their newly acquired skills into practice.

“We will not just give them certificates and send them away. We are empowering each and every one of them with start-up tools and equipment worth millions of naira to enable them to start their own businesses immediately,” he said.

According to the governor, the number of beneficiaries rose from 648 at the previous graduation ceremony to 1,662, representing a 156.79 per cent increase.

He described vocational training as a key part of efforts to tackle unemployment, poverty and insecurity, adding that skilled young people could earn a living, support their families and create jobs for others.

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“An idle youth is a danger to society, but a skilled youth is an asset to the nation and an asset to society,” Radda said.

The governor urged the graduates not to sell the equipment given to them but to use it to establish and grow their businesses. He also encouraged them to embrace honesty, innovation and professionalism in their chosen trades.

Radda announced that his administration planned to train and empower more than 5,000 youths through craft villages before the end of his first tenure. He also pledged to establish vocational training centres in all 34 local government areas of the state, with particular attention to young people in rural communities.

Former governor Ibrahim Shema praised the government for sustaining the Youth Craft Village, which he said was established about 17 years ago to promote skills acquisition and economic self-reliance.

Shema said the institution had attracted trainees from across Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic, while some former students had gone on to establish businesses and secure employment in different sectors.

He urged the new graduates to make good use of their equipment and turn their training into sustainable sources of income.

The Commissioner for Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, Ahmed Aliyu, said vocational education should be recognised as a valuable path to economic independence rather than treated as inferior to conventional academic qualifications.

Earlier, the Coordinator of the Youth Craft Village, Abdullahi Kofar-Sauro, said the graduates were leaving with practical skills and equipment to begin their own businesses.

“They came as job seekers, but today they are leaving as job creators,” he said.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of certificates and start-up equipment to the graduates.