By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt – The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited on Monday graduated 210 youths trained on various vocational and entrepreneurial skills as part of concerted efforts to tackle unemployment.
NLNG General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development presented certificates to the beneficiaries at the graduation of the 2021/2022 batch of NLNG’s Youth Empowerment Scheme (YES) in Port Harcourt on Monday.
He said the beneficiaries were trained in automotive repairs, advanced welding, photography and video production, farm management, fashion design and cosmetology and Information and Communication Technology.
According to Odeh, the company organised the scheme to enable youths earn a living for themselves as well as create jobs for others.
“NLNG conceptualised this programme, to create a crème of highly skilled and equipped young Nigerians who will support the development of Port Harcourt; our host communities and Nigeria at large.
“The YES initiative is one of NLNG’s major human capital development programmes for development of skills of youths and equipping them to move from job seekers to job creators.
“If you give a man a fish, he will be hungry tomorrow, but teach him to fish, you’ve given him an occupation that will feed him for a lifetime,” he said.
Odeh said the scheme had recorded several successes by transforming the fortunes of 1,400 youths since the programme began in 2004.
He said many of the new graduates have begun practising their newly acquired knowledge and skills while some have already opened businesses and employed people.
“We have also given the 210 graduates starter parks to start their trade as well as partnered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to help ease the process of their business registration.
“We have also partnered with Stanbic IBTC, to provide seamless payments of allowances to the graduates as well as provide them access to SME loans.
“Aside this, we have registered the 2022 graduates of photography and video production to become members of Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria,” he added.
The NLNG general manager further said the company had also registered its Information and Communication Technology graduates into the global certified entry level Information Technology Specialists.
The Catering and Hotel Management graduates, Odeh said, have bagged the City and Guild Hospitality and Catering Certification.
“We have kept faith with our over 110 host and pipeline communities in Rivers state, and since 2004 till date equipped over 1,400 youths with various requisite skills.
“Apart from our empowerment and human capital development, NLNG has invested in education, health and infrastructural development.
“As part of NLNG’s 6 million dollars Hospital Support Initiative, we recently inaugurated medical facilities worth about 500,000 dollars each in the University of Abuja and University of Benin.
“This is part of our initiative to upgrade facilities in 12 Teaching Hospitals in the six geopolitical zones of the country,” he said. (NAN)
