Beneficiaries of the various state government’s empowerment programmes have been charged to make integrity their watchword if they are to succeed in the businesses they have been trained and empowered for.
The Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, gave the charge during the graduation ceremony of the second batch of trainees of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) Skills Academy at the PTI Conference Center, Effurun.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief Patrick Ukah, the Governor stated that one of the strong points of his administration was the introduction of the women and youths skill acquisition and empowerment schemes which he said had provided a platform for them to become financially stable.
Governor Okowa said the empowerment programmes carried out by his administration was one way of diversifying the economy of the state.
He noted that economic indicators have shown that the scheme had impacted positively on the economy of the state as most graduands from the programmes had grown their businesses and employing people to work for them.
Governor Okowa urged the new graduands of the DESOPADEC Skills Academy to ensure that they are committed to their businesses as it was the only way to become successful in what they do.
He commended the Managing Director of DESOPADEC and the management team for complimenting the efforts of the government in reducing poverty and unemployment through the scheme.
Earlier in his speech, the Managing Director of DESOPADEC, Bashorun Askia Ogieh, stated that the commission in the first quarter of 2021 took the decision to square up and re-skill people in several vocational areas within the mandate oil bearing communities in the state so they can become self reliant.
Bashorun Askia noted that the decision has undoubtedly paid off for the previous trainees and their families as the trainees from batch 1 of the Skills Academy were doing well in their chosen skills across the state.
He equally stated that a total of 168 trainees were admitted to the batch 2 of the vocational diet of the DESOPADEC Skills Academy where they were trained in hair dressing, welding and fabrication, shoe and bag making, POP, tiling and interlocking, electrical repairs, installation and solar works, fashion design and tailoring information, and communication technology amongst others.
Highpoint of the event was the presentation of starter packs and certificates to the trainees and also presentation of cash awards to the trainees who distinguished themselves during the period of the training by the representative of the state governor, Chief Ukah.
Items given to the trainees as starter packs include; generators, industrial sewing machines, laptops, hair dryers, ramming machines, hand grinding machines, industrial leather machines, massaging equipments for beauty therapy amongst others.
