The State Employment and Expenditure for Result Project (SEEFOR) in Rivers State has issued cheques of N100,000.00 each to rent shops for over 500 graduates of the state’s craft development centres who earlier received its starter packs for self-employment in the state.
The State Coordinator of SEEFOR, Mr Kelcious Amos, who officially supervised the disbursement of the funds in Port Harcourt, said the process was the second phase of the empowerment programmes to the young graduates of craft development centres across the state.
According to him, the graduates who were selected from different schools including from technical colleges and school-to-land programmes centres in the state, were earlier provided with starter packs of all kinds of electrical, welding and mechanical.
“What we are doing here today is part of the process we started some years ago to skill-up youths from various governments craft development centres, technical colleges and school-to-land centres across Rivers State.
“Precisely today, we are supporting them with N100,000.00 each to get a workshop, where the starter packs will be used to start their own businesses.
“They should use the opportunity to get themselves workshops to earn a living in life.
“Our next step of action is to disburse working capital of N50,000.00 each to enable them operate in the workshop but that will be after they might have rented the shops” the SEEFOR Coordinator explained.
Amos said that the project would ensured that the young school leavers in the state have their own businesses even before they further them education.
He also advised parents and guardians to monitor their wards and children to ensure proper management of the fund provided for their.
Also speaking, the Director Crafts, Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Mr Obisike Anthony, commended SEEFOR for providing starter packs and fund for the youths to start their life after schools.
Anthony urged the young graduates to take the project serious, saying that the project was to ensure that they live a better life in the state.
Also speaking at the occasion the Principal Government Craft Development Centre, Port Harcourt, China Ameka, and Director, Planning,Research and Statistics Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Mr Samuel I. Nwokugha commended SEEFOR for the projects.
They urged the recipients to ensure the money is judiciously used for the purpose it was provided.
Mr Nwokugha appealed to SEEFOR to extend the projects to the youths in the rural areas as means to reduce restiveness and social vices in the state.

Enoch Epelle

Some youths of Niger Delta region undergoing the 2019 NDDC ICT training have alleged of being shortchanged by consultants handling the programme.
The youths who said this during a demonstration in Port Harcourt also alleged of being brutalized by secretary Agencies at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.
The alleged of being denied accommodations, especially those from Rivers State after being forced to sign the accommodation paper, while starter packs and other post training Assembly was denied them.
The protesters also alleged that the training was not allowed to run its full course of three months as proposed, adding that they were only given three weeks tutorials and asked to go.
The youths numbering over 200 further demanded for post training benefits and starter packs to enable them start up businesses after the training, and for their transport allowances and accommodation benefits be paid to them.
Reacting to the protest, a consultant to the commission on the programme, Mr. Ebi Chimezie, denied that the trainees were short-charged in the programme.
Chimezie, who was in charge of trainees from Abia, Delta and Cross River States, said all the trainees who sat for the final examinations have recivered their allowances.
He also expressed the commission’s willingness to reaccommodate those who embarked on the protest adding that the programme was designed by the commission to create opportunities for graduates from the region to become employers self employed with a view to contribute to the development of the region.

The Rumuwoji Community Council (RCC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State have commended Governor Nyesom Wike for keeping his promise of rebuilding the Mile One Market, which was gutted by fire over a decade ago.
They however faulted claims that the Rumuwoji Market popularly called Mile 1 Market may be renamed by the State Government and urged the people of the State to continue to support the Governor in his vision of a New Rivers State.
The Chairman of the RCC, Hon Isaac Chibueze Wigodo who disclosed this in a statement said such claim of renaming the market is misleading, saying though he was not speaking for the State Government it is not true that renaming the market is being contemplated.
The RCC is the apex decision making body of Rumuwoji Community of Abali, Rebisi in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Wigodo in his statement issued on Monday was reacting to a publication in a local tabloid that the State government may have the market renamed, just as he urged the public to disregard such misleading information which he said was concocted to create confusion amongst the people.
“Although, i do not hold brief for the state government, it has not come to our notice and the government we know will not think in that direction,” adding that the writer was only trying to cause confusion between the chiefs of Port Harcourt and Rumuwoji the community, Wigodo said.
He further said that the place has been named Rumuwoji Mile Market even before the civil war, alleging that the author of the said publication who is from a neighbouring community probably wants the name of his community to be added.
”The report is misleading and fall short from the ethics of journalism profession. Nobody from the state government or chiefs as stated in the story spoke of the purported move to rename the market,” Wigodo noted, noting that the aim of the author was clearly to create confusion.