The Secretary to the Bayelsa Public Information Management, Comrade John Idumange has urged Bayelsa Youths to embrace the several youth empowerment programmes mounted by the Governor Seriake Dickson Administration. He disclosed this at the premises of State Universal Basic Education today at Okolobiri in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. He said, research has shown that Bayelsa youths are some of the most adventurous and hardworking youths in Nigeria, adding that what needs to be done is a government that will formulate policies, plans and programmes to re-direct their focus. Now, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has formulated such policies and programmes. Said he “the Youths of Bayelsa State cannot afford the luxury of not embracing these people-centred policies. For once, let us rise and embrace the policies, Idumange said!.
Ciomrade Idumange John – who is also SSA to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson on Research and Social media reeled some of the programmes which government has used uncommon courage to mount.
Government Free Education Policy designed to build a formidable stock of intermediate manpower, of Postgraduate Scholarships at home and abroad geared towards producing brain power to service the tertiary institutions in the State, the establishment of the Teachers’ Training Institute, the Bayelsa State College of Arts and Science and the College of Education.
In the area of skills acquisition and empowerment, the Secretary said, Bayelsa State has been transformed into a massive construction site and in the circumstances; our youths are a source of casual labour. He disclosed that government is intensifying efforts to resuscitate hitherto ailing industries such the Bayelsa Palm Limited; Bayelsa Sea Foods and Bayelsa Bayelsa Farms Limited. All these parastatals with be operated on PPP basis to generate income to boost the IGR of the State.
He reiterated that recently, government has sent youths to Songhai Farms in Porto Novo in the Republic of Benin to learn modern techniques of commercial farming. The dividends the programme will have on the very prolific rice cultivation are unimaginable. It is a total package that will endow our youths with skills and competences to manipulate economic processes.
Essentially too, Government established a separate Ministry of Tourism Development to encourage tourism development. Bayelsa State can achieve this through the active partnership with the Museum and Monuments Board whose duty it is to preserve historical and heritage sites as well as investors who are ready to put their money to promote tourism in the State.
The Ministry of Youth Development is also embarking on youth empowerment programmes while intermediate Manpower Training goes on in the Ministry of Science, Technology & Manpower Development. All these are windows of youth empowerment available in the State.
Recently too, more than 7, 600 repentant cultists were granted Amnesty, and within the limits of available resources, government evolve programmes that ultimately empower them through skills acquisition. The programme is to ensure that no one is left out in government’s avowed commitment to aggressively pursue human capital development. Needless to mention the proposed Maritime Academy; the Sports Academy and the proposed Film City whose foundation Governor Dickson laid only last week. Bayelsa Youths have never had it so good, remarked! Comrade Idumange and his media team were on a routine inspection of SUBEB projects in the State
COURTESY: BAYELSA PUBLIC INFORMATION MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
BAYELSA NEW MEDIA TEAM 