Thousands of Akwa Ibom youths are currently benefitting from the State government’s human capacity development initiatives. Already, the first batch of 1000 youths under the Ibom 3000 project are undergoing training in oil and gas, agriculture, ICT, small and medium enterprise business support and mentioning and catering, among others.
The training programme flagged off last week by Governor Udom Emmanuel is going on simultaneously across designated training centres in the state. The Oil & Gas Academy at Nyadiong in Mkpat Enin Local Government Area is the training centre for trainees under the oil and gas component of the Ibom 3000 project.
A team of the governor’s aides who visited the facility, Tuesday on assessment tour were welcomed by visibly elated trainees who poured encomiums on Governor Udom Emmanuel for creating opportunity for them to be trained in various skills which would enhance their economic well-being.
Chief instructor at the Oil and Gas Academy, Nyadiong in Mkpat Enin, Richard Akpan, conducted a team of the governor’s aides round the various departments at the academy.
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Also, a hundred youths who departed the state recently for MIT, Onitsha, have excelled in the entrance examination of the institute.
Commissioner for trade and investment, Prince Ukpong Akpabio, whose ministry is coordinating the training explained that the Ibom 3000 project is being segmented in three batches, with the first batch accommodating 1000 trainees, while the second one will take another 1000 till it gets to the third batch where it would have accommodated 3000 youths. Akpabio said the initiative underscores Governor Emmanuel’s passion for youth development.
“They are being trained in fitting, rigging, iron bending, welding, crane operation, fork lifting, scaffolding, catering, among others.
“At the end of their specialist trainings, they are expected to be certified in the respective technical areas of specialty.
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“This is a very expensive process being simplified by His Excellency.
If they went to Port Harcourt for similar training, they would spend over N350,000 as fees each and also spend more money on accommodation, but the governor has made it easier for them to get these trainings and in a more comfortable environment”, Akpabio said.
Some of the trainees including: Hanson Udo Obio, Oto Frank Jabob, Godwin Edet, Esther Daniel Udoh and Stephen David told newsmen that they were excited to be selected for the training, adding that the skills acquired would add value to their lives.
They confessed that they were completely ignorant of the skills before being accepted for training.
“I am from Ikono and I want to thank the governor and the commissioner for trade and investments for this opportunity, because I just finished school, having studied Engineering, and this training is very important for me”, said a pipeline welding engineer who gave his name as Michael.
