NO DTS 2302: FG ESTABLISHES BANK OF YOUTH TO FINANCE YOUTH BUSINESSES
NO DTS 2303: IGBAN FOUNDATION KICK-STARTS ‘OPERATION BACK TO SCHOOL’… PLANS ASSISTANCE FOR ONE MILLION STUDENTS IN RIVERINE COMMUNITIES
NO DTS 2304: FLOODING: UGHIEVWEN MONARCH APPEALS FOR GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
Editor: Churchill Oyowe
Tel: 08062269772
Website; Information.deltastate.gov.ng; Facebook: @delmininfo; Instagram: @delmininfo; Twitter @delmininfo
NO DTS 2302: ASABA, NIGERIA, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
FG ESTABLISHES BANK OF YOUTH TO FINANCE YOUTH BUSINESSES
By Ese Obote-Ogwu
The Federal Government of Nigeria has established a Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), where youths can get loan to finance their businesses with very low interest rate.
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, disclosed the development that the during a town hall meeting with Delta youths over the weekend.
According to Dare, NYIF was liken to a Bank for youths, approved on July 22, 2020, with N25 billion capital per year for three years, with very low interest rate of between three to five percent per annum.
He stated that the ministry was working on a sustainable model, backup by legislation to make it a permanent feature for the youth, saying: “We intend to grow the money that we have from N25 billion to double it because it is designed in a way that we can have donor funding.”
Dare reiterated the federal government’s determination to providing an enabling environment and support for youths of the country to pursue their career and also to realise their legitimate dreams.
“I believe that the Nigerian youth in Lagos, Kano or Delta, their issues are the same, their aspirations are the same. They all have certain dreams, certain career that must be realised within the entity of Nigeria.
“We are working closely with all the 36 states commissioners for youth development, including the nation’s capital, Abuja on the plan for the youths of the country so that whatever is being done at the national level is cascaded down to the states, especially when it comes with opportunities.
“As at now, we have 25 youth focused opportunities on going. Most of which started more than a year ago. I implore you to give it a shot by patronising all these programmes, it might not be the money, it might be some kind if training,” the minister said.
The federal minister for youth and sports development also revealed that the federal government was moving away from the usual empowerment of the youth to investing in the youth, which he stated, was a continental and global paradigm shift.
“We have seen a lot of programmes that government is doing which put money in your pocket every month and that is for your sustenance you cannot use that as a capital to start any business.
“We want to change that, even when we train you, we develop what we call training into enterprise. We don’t want to train and send you back into the job market to look for job. We want to train you and place you on the path of entrepreneurship, provide you tools, provide you needed capital and finance so that you can be a self starter and an entrepreneur and a wealth creator,” he stated.
The minister enjoined the youth to acquire skills, especially on ICT other than the degree certificate they had, saying that there was a clear digital skill deficit in the country and across Africa.
He also enjoined the youths to key into the virtual meetings of the ministry every Fridays and other programmes to get critical information and also ask questions on how to get funding and answers to issues bothering them.
Earlier, the Delta State Commissioner for Youth Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga, stated that the event was put together as part of efforts to engage the youths with a view to charting a new course towards building a new Nigeria where yearnings and aspirations of youths could find strong expression and fulfilment.
Comrade Egwunyenga said that the meeting was part of the call by the Nigeria youths for good governance and greater inclusion of the most active population of the country in governance, adding that such would guarantee the future of the nation.
He revealed that as a fallout of the EndSARS protests by the Nigerian youths, the Delta State Government had engaged the youths with the aim of having in its entirety a deeper understanding of the youth’s agitation.
He restated that the state government had also established a judicial panel of Inquiry to investigate complaints of police brutality and cases of extra-judicial killings in the state.
During the question and answer session, the various youths’ representatives from across the state which included, EndSARS protesters, Community youth, Ethnic nationalities, civil society organizations, female advocacy groups, students movement and youth stakeholders made contributions.
They enjoined the minister to bring most of the youth programmes closer to the community youths, saying that they only read and hear of such programmes on the pages of the papers and broadcast stations
According to them, emphasis should be on job availability, awakening non functional federal industries in the state, more inclusion of youths in federal government policies, as well as increase and upscale youth programs for more youths to be accommodated.
They also tasked the minister to convey their message to the president to urgently address the issue of insecurity, saying that it was gradually destroying the socio-economic and the cohesion of the country.
The youth stakeholders urged the president to urgently consider putting the refineries in the Niger Delta in order, explaining that they could not imagine a nation like Nigeria with huge and vast crude oil importing petroleum products.
While decrying the deplorable condition of the federal roads in the South-South, especially the East-West Road, the youths call on the president to urgently declare a state of emergency on the roads and also address the epileptic power supply, which according to them was the bane of poverty in the land.
Present at the meeting were the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Mrs Flora Alanta; the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Chief Chika Ossai, the Special Adviser to the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Peace Building and former PDP Chairman, Mr Edwin Uzor; the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Youth, Comrade Innocent Esewezie, amongst others.
NO DTS 2303: ASABA, NIGERIA, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
IGBAN FOUNDATION KICK-STARTS ‘OPERATION BACK TO SCHOOL’… PLANS ASSISTANCE FOR ONE MILLION STUDENTS IN RIVERINE COMMUNITIES
A non-governmental 0rganization, NGO, Eric Igban Foundation has taken it upon itself to assist students from the riverine communities to go back to school as well as enhance their studies.
It was gathered that the the foundation went into the venture due to the reported alarming rate of pupils and students not being able to go to school especially in the riverine communities occasioned by the lack of basic resources and funds from parents.
According to the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Eric Igban Foundation, Dr Andrew Igban, said this year’s 2020 program which is her 5th edition, was geared towards educational uplifting in various communities, noting that education remained the greatest legacy people could live behind for the future generations.
Dr Igban noted that the foundation’s activities were a yearly, disclosing that last year, which is the 4th edition, witnessed leadership seminar and health awareness campaign where lots of individuals old and young were tested and given medications and health advise by professionals on any sickness diagnosed in their body.
The foundation CEO revealed that it was in honour of late Eric Igban memorial activities, stressing that they would give to the participants during the course of the program, lots of educational materials ranging from school bags, to books, sandals, mathematical sets and reading lamps.
Assuring that the foundation would be distributed across communities to encourage youths to stay focus and study hard to become great men and Women of their dreams.
The Eric Igban Foundation boss presented an award of excellence to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli in appreciation for his commitment, support and dedication to serve the Warri Kingdom.
Dr Igban reeled out some successes of the foundation to include training of some youths in skill acquisition to include 16 skilful students at Egbokodo Multipurpose Training Centre in Warri, sponsoring of some students into universities, training of youths at Lagos, entrepreneurship and training on solar installation, among others.
He appealed for more support from cooperate bodies and individuals to increase their reach out to the less privilege people in riverine communities in Nigeria, irrespective of tribe, religion and background.
While commending the Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, for being a mentor and a father towards the foundation, Dr. Igban stated that the 5th edition of the event. which commences tomorrow, Monday, November 9, 2020 at Ugborodo and Gbaramatu communities in Warri South West LGA Delta State, will feature selection of qualified students for scholarship and further skill acquisition training support.
NO DTS 2304: ASABA, NIGERIA, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2020
FLOODING: UGHIEVWEN MONARCH APPEALS FOR GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
By Ambrose Ologide
The Okobaro of Ughievwen Kingdom, HRM (Dr) Matthew Egbin, JP, Owahwa the II, has appealed to the federal and state governments as well as multinational companies operating in community to come to their aid, so as to solve the perennial flooding problem in the kingdom.
The monarch who made this appeal at his palace, noted that most communities in the kingdom were presently heavily flooded.
He explained that houses and public utilities had been submerged forcing many out of their homes and property destroyed.
Owahwa the second disclosed that most of the victims of the flood were currently taking refuge at the temporal IDP camps.
The Urhobo monarch noted that the flood problem had been a recurrent one, year in year out, and appealed to the federal and state governments to find a lasting solution to this problem.
He also appealed for relief materials from government at all levels, multinational companies, religious organizations and well-meaning Nigerians to alleviate the plight of the victims.