As part of fulfilling the campaign promises by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike on resumption of office in 2015, the governor has embarked on its first Human Capital Development Initiative by empowering 55 youths from the 23 local government areas of the state.
Speaking during the flag-off of the first phase of the programme, last Monday, at the Mile One ultra-modern Market, Commissioner for Housing, Elder Tasie Nwobueze stated that the project aims at empowering youth to gather more needed practical experiences in their different fields of study while reducing the number of miscreants on the streets of Port Harcourt.
Nwobueze noted that the 55 youth empowered were science graduates in engineering courses, adding that they were also undergraduate students from the same field that were on Industrial Training to be trained by the contractors handling the construction of Mile One Market as well as the Judges Quarters in GRA.
He said the governor gave the ministry approval to deploy some engineers, architects and quantity surveyors to the Mile One Market project site and the Judges Quarters, so that they could gain practical experience, noting that the ultra-modern market was expected to be commissioned in December.
Nwobueze noted that the Rivers State Government decided to engage the youth for the next six months as a way of enabling the young graduates gather more practical knowledge from the foreign contractors, adding that gone were the days when foreign contractors construct roads, build houses, markets, among others, without imparting practical knowledge to youth in the area.
The commissioner hinted that the 55 youth would be paid within the next six months as part of ways of encouraging them to remain focused and determined in gaining the best practical knowledge in their different fields of endeavour to enable them contribute to the future, adding that the best graduates would be retained by the contractors for future projects.
“It is part of ways of creating employment for our teeming youth, and so, we are grateful to the Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike for what he has done in the area of infrastructure as well as Human Capital Development. As you can see in the state, several projects have been constructed and commissioned within the past three years of this administration.
“As at two days ago, he has commissioned over 31 projects, which are all infrastructure, so we are adding human capital development to the list of achievements by taking the youth to these project sites, and paying them so that they can take care of themselves,” the commissioner added.
In his reaction, the Project Manager, SPG Construction Limited, Mr Ramez Rasheed stated that the Mile One Market project would house all the traders at a particular place.
Rasheed added that his firm was cooperating with the Ministry of Housing to engage the 55 graduates in order to give them the necessary support that would make them useful to the society.
The beneficiaries, including Boma Aningenime from Okrika, Chime Goodlife from Ahoada, Obia George from PHALGA and Undoh Anita, expressed joy for being chosen among the crowd from the 23 local government areas of the state, and promised to make good use of the opportunity given them by Governor Nyesom Wike.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana