Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
The Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has trained and graduated 500 youths from Sola Power Programme as a former senator lauds Simbi Wabote for his local content drive.
The training programme which was organised as part of the Board’s youth empowerment and human capacity-building initiatives took place in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and it lasted for six months.
The close-out ceremony of the training programme was held, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.
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Sen. Teslim Folarin commended the Board for training 500 youths in Oyo State on solar power installation and maintenance.
Sen. Folarin who was a one-time chairman of the the Local Content Committee in the 9th Senate.
He lauded the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, for his dedication to growing Local Content and building capacity for youths of the country,
According to Sen. Folarin, “If we have about 10 Simbi’s in Nigeria, our country will be a better place”, said Folarin who requested the Board to continually engage the youths with more training and contract opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
Delivering the keynote address at the event, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics at the NCDMB, Alhalji Abdulmalik Halilu hinted that the Board initiated the programme to create employment opportunities in the country, generate wealth and empower the youths to contribute meaningfully to the economy of the nation.
Halilu observed that technology, skill acquisition in trades and agriculture are some of the high-impact economic sectors and harped that solar power installation and maintenance training provided an alternative source of power at homes and offices to support the national power grid in addition to providing job opportunities for the youths.
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He disclosed that as part of the end-to-end planning for the programme, the Board has concluded arrangements to register cooperative societies for the group as well as provide shops where they would practice their trades.
According to him, “the trainees will commence business as registration of cooperatives and the provision of shops in groups for the graduates has been done.
This empowerment programme was aimed at providing lifelong support to youths, said the director of research who implored Nigerian youths to take advantage of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS), adding that the platform is used to select participants for human capacity-building interventions and employment opportunities whenever they are available.
In her comments, the General Manager of the Corporate Communication and Zonal Coordination Division, Mrs. Angela Okoro gave an overview of the Board’s objectives and mandates stating that the Board has trained over 16,000 semi-skilled and skilled youths across the country, in furtherance of its Human Capital Development initiatives.