Niger Delta Youth Movement, NDYM has kickstart the empowerment of over two hundred youth in Rivea
“Today we are giving back to the society.As a youth movement,we came together to make sure we train over two hundred youth of Rivers state in various skills,the maritime and the oil sector.cybersecurity etc.
“As you can see, the hall is filled to its capacity.It is a programme that is a burning desire to make sure that the youth of Rivers state are being engaged.To see how the youth can be gainfully employed.
“I have often understood that interfacing with companies,they keep on telling you that there is no vacancy.I begin to understand that, is like our youth are meant for thuggery than to be gainfully employed.
“If the companies refuses to employ our people then what will happen to the fate of our youth in the next five,ten years to come.So as an organization, we begin to understand that we need to push further.
“As we are training our Youth to be gainfully employed,we will be interfacing with the company to employ them.You cannot train somebody without giving him a job.This is the first stage of the programme we are doing right now.
“We are going to come up with another stage.The second stage of this programme.
“Like I said,nobody is bankrolling this programme.It is heartbreaking that we wrote to a Government institution to give us a place to do the programme,the they called us in a meeting and told us to pay them 750,000 naira for maintenance.so.I said is a free programme to train the youth,how come I will be paying 750,000 naira .
“I expect the Government to partner with us.My desire is to make sure we train one thousand youth . So with the little resources we have,we reduced it to two hundred youth.
“We have written to several organization, even to the Sole Administrator of Rivers state to sponsor this programme so we can take it to LGA to LGA but there is this adamant nature about the Government of today as regards welfare of the youth.
“They don’t see the youth as relevant,it is only when they want to go for protest they know that the youth are important.When it comes to resourcefulness the youth are not important.
“No individual,no company,no parastatal bankrolled what we are doing.It is a collective desire by few individuals who sold their property to make sure that this training is a huge success today.
“I am disappointed in certain companies, individuals, organizations that they cannot give back to the society.Even at the Rivers state Government.We wrote to the Sole Administrator two months ago but no response.
“As you can see, it is the community that gave us the hall free of charge.Community is doing more than what Government is doing to impact positively on the youth.
“I told the youth to be resourceful.If they are resourceful, nobody will come and pick you or lift you in our house to go out for protest,thuggery .
“Even as the elected Governor is coming back in Rivers state the programme will continue.
“Due to the PIA laws,the communities deals directly with the companies.Now there are certain communities leaders who deals directly with the company, those people should be checkmated.Those are the problem we have.
“I have an encounter with a company,the person who is public relations officer is from the host company, the public relations officer was blocking the youth not to be employed and said will the company employ everybody.The company will bring out overseas scholarship,he will give it either to his family,relative or girlfriend.
“So you see that those people who have rose from grass to grace are our problem in Niger Delta.
“I begin to ask why will a man community intrusted their resources into his care for him to interface with company in their domain to make sure dividends will come back to the communities use the dividends to enrich himself and when you come to the community you give them peanut and they begin to sing praises.
“How many leaders can say in my community I have empowered fifty youth who are resourceful in Rivers state.
“The Governors in Niger Delta have lost focus.They don’t have mind and framework of creating employment .I have like one thousand ideas to make sure our people are gainfully employed .Do you know that this one they pay people to sweep in the street ,we can do it
“We have some certain young men who see themselves as people to be used as agberos .There should be a law in this state that anybody who perpetrates crime or certain nuisances will not just be put in the cell but they should pass a law this ones should be used for community services.
“They should put up a law that if they catch you,you will serve six months.In this six months,they will clean our streets,gutters.That money they are using to pay individuals they we be paying those people stipends and take proper data of these people.
“After six months,they we release you.if they arrest you again,in that same act, then they would send you to where you deserve to stay.
“We can create farm and make youth to work in the farm and be paying them.If a youth commits offence that you know is not a capital offence,all these minor offences,you don’t just send them to prison to languish,you bring them out .You reorientate them,then use them to generate revenue for the states and you pay them stipends.
“During the community service of six months, when they are coming back some of them might have learnt some skills” Comrade Tamunoimama said.
In an interview with Journalists,the Chairman of NDYM PortHarcourt Local Government chapter, innocent Wechie said
“If you look at today in Rivers state our youth, most of them are into drugs and so many other vices.
“We look at it,that it will be a thing of Joy to gather our youth and give them these skills to occupy them.
“For example I am a business man,I have printing press,I have other businesses I am doing,I am the present Environmental chairman in my community Nkpolu Oroworukwo .
“Because I am engaged,a politician cannot come and use me for purpose of thuggery or inciting violence.
“So when I heard the amount the Government institution asked our NDYM,chairman to pay,I told my community chairman who said provided,I am a member of the organization, the hall will be released free of charge to us”.
Meanwhile several beneficiaries of the programme commended NDYM Rivers chapter for the opportunity given to them to participate in the training while promising to put the skills they learnt to practice to earn a living for themselves.
Our correspondent reports that the beneficiaries were trained on cybersecurity,HSE, maritime and oil sector etc.
