The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has graduated 300 indigent youths who participated in its Technical Skills Training Programme in the Niger Delta.
The youths were drawn from nine states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.
The Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, who was represented by the Executive Director of Projects, Dr Victor Antai, announced this on wednesday during the graduation ceremony and presentation of certificates in Port Harcourt. Ogbuku said the beneficiaries were trained in technical skills to meet the manpower needs in the oil and gas and manufacturing industries.
The training covered pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations, and sandblasting.
According to him, the beneficiaries acquired the specialised skills that have made them employable, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“They are now skilled professionals in key critical areas, which make them ambassadors of the NDDC and pioneers of a new era of empowerment and productivity.
“This programme, designed to address youth restiveness and fill manpower gaps in the oil and gas sector, is part of our strategy to reduce poverty in the Niger Delta,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that the commission had made significant investments in youth development initiatives, aimed at boosting small and medium scale enterprises and reducing dependence on white-collar jobs.
He urged the beneficiaries to remain focused and utilise the skills they had acquired to earn a living and support their families.
Mrs Lyna Okara, Director of Commercial and Industrial Development, explained that the programme was designed to promote sustainable development in the region in line with the amended NDDC Establishment Act of 2000.
