The National Directorate for Employment (NDE), in collaboration with Gbagura community in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have empowered 66 youths in various skills acquisition.
The chairman of the 10th Gbagura Day anniversary, Alhaji Ayinde Soaga, disclosed this during a press conference at Agura Palace.
Soaga, a former General Manager of Ogun State Television (OGTV), said the gesture was extended to both indigenes and non-indigenes of the community.
He added that the empowerment was aimed at complementing government’s efforts at making youths become self-sustaining despite harsh economic realities.
Soaga added that the plan of the committee is to empower youths across the state in order to reduce unemployment burden on the government.
He explained that more beneficiaries completed the three-month skills acquisition organised by the committee in different trades, which include fashion designing, hair dressing, plumbing, phone repairing, among others.
He added that the committee plans to give scholarship to three indigenous students of Gbagura.
He said: “We are doing this to reduce crime and rascality among our youths and to also make them become useful to themselves and society at large.”
Meanwhile, the programmes of event kicked-off on Tuesday with the usual Woro and horse ride around the major streets of Abeokuta and visit to the family house of the hero of the year.
Also, an annual lecture was held on Wednesday, November 30, with the theme: “Traditional rulership in Yoruba land and development paradigm,” delivered by Professor Babatunde Sofela of the University of Ibadan.
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