The Senator representing Borno Central, Babakaka Garbai, has said that the N140 million skills acquisition centre which is under construction in the state will address the issues of unemployment among youths and insecurity in Maiduguri metropolis.
Garbai stated this in Maiduguri after a guided tour of ongoing constituency projects in Mafa, Jere and Maiduguri Metropolis at the weekend.
He said at least 500 youths and women will benefit in the first batch of the training.
According to him, the training center which is under Small and Medium Entrepreneur Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) will train unskilled youths and women in six technical areas.
"Four skills acquisition centre are currently undergoing construction and it has reached advance stage. We have swarm of unemployed youths within Maiduguri Metropolis and as a major population centre of Borno, we actually have many unskilled women too.
“I feel that skills acquisition centre is a platform where youths will be able to get skills and then they will be engaged. After getting skills, we shall provide them with starter packs to enable them become useful in the society.
"A provision was made in 2017 budget for provide befitting skills acquisition centre worth N200 million but actually the Federal government was able to implement only 70 percent for zonal intervention; so the cost of putting up the skills acquisition cost N140 million. We have the intention of training at least 500 people in the first batch in ICT, Soap making, Tailoring, Welding, Carpentry and Phone repairs," Sen. Garbai said.
Senator Garbai also said the three boreholes when completed will put an end to the challenges of water scarcity in some communities such as Bulanurin, Ngarnan and Zannari in the Metropolis.
“We consulted with the communities leaders to know their top priority and some came up with additional classrooms which we have constructed three blocks of classrooms and furnished them with learning materials.
“Also it is imperative to say that drilling boreholes here is very expensive because we go as far 600mm before getting table water; so each of the three boreholes cost N20 million,” he added.
He urged people of Borno central to support the current administration in its bid to end insurgency in the state.
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