Youths in Niger State have been called to take advantage of opportunities being provided by some Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) to acquire various skills to enable them to become self-reliant.
The call was made by the Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mrs. Hadiza Mohammed Shiru, when she received in her office members of an NGO based in Minna, the Progressive Ambassadors, who were in her office for a courtesy visit.
She noted with concern the level of youth restlessness being experienced in the state, which she attributed to the abuse of substances, while calling on stakeholders to rally around the government and ensure that children were brought up properly to face the challenges of life devoid of any form of criminality.
The permanent secretary tasked the organisation with changing the perception of the youths from idleness to engaging in useful ventures in order to earn a living, adding that no society will develop with a high number of its youth without skills and jobless.
Mrs. Hadiza Shiru further enjoined the organisation to ensure that beneficiaries of its skills acquisition programme were monitored for proper utilisation of the starter packs distributed to them.
She also implored women not to be left behind and to take advantage of the programmes to better their lives.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation, who is the Chairman of Progressive Ambassadors, Mohammed Abdullahi Mujahid, pointed out that they were in the ministry for collaborative partnership in the area of publicity for their programmes in the state, as well as spreading their tentacles to the 25 LGAs.
He disclosed that the organisation was already in partnership with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to stem the tide of drug-related issues and youth rebellion bedevilling society in recent times.
According to Mujahid, the organisation will soon graduate about 33 apprentices from various skill acquisition programmes and has called for the support of stakeholders to achieve its dream.