News
Embrace Skill Acquisition, FG Tells Youths
The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, yesterday, asked Nigerian youths to embrace the various skill acquisition programmes of the government in order to reduce restiveness and unemployment among them.
The development, the ministry noted, remained the only way designed by the Federal Government to pull 100million Nigerians, mostly youths, out of poverty in the country.
The Minister, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouk, spoke at the graduation of trainees drawn from the restive North-East zone of the country at the PAN Learning Centre, Kaduna, yesterday.
She also insisted that the government alone could not provide the teeming Nigerian youths with the needed white-collar jobs.
No fewer than 150 youths were drawn from the six states in the North-East – Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi – who had over the years been ravaged by the deadly activities of the Boko Haram insurgents, for the programme.
However, out of the 150 youths signed for the programme, 76 graduated.
The youths were trained in automobile repairs and were sponsored by the North-East Development Commission.
They had three months of rigorous training in various fields such as welding and fabrication, spraying and painting, vehicle maintenance, air conditioner maintenance as well as tyre and wheel balance.
Represented by her Technical Adviser in North-East, Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (rtd), the minister expressed delight over the graduation and commended the North-East Development Commission for the initiative to train the youths in the automobile sector.
She also urged the youths to make good use of the skills acquired during the training in order to impact positively on other unemployed youths in the zone.
Shehu said, “First, she extends her congratulations to the graduands who have successfully followed the course of training which intended to upscale them to a good start in life. On behalf of the minister, I will enjoin you to please put this skill into use.
“There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is a country blessed with a large population, majority who are youths. The reality is that government cannot give every youth work. So, the best the government can do and an agency like North-East Development Commission is to make sure you are put in a position.
“While some will get government jobs, majority will have to go into private enterprise to ensure that they don’t only employ themselves but become generators of employment. That’s the reality of the situation.
“So, on that note, I must extend the appreciation of the honourable minister to NEDC for this laudable venture which thrives on the Federal Government plan to lift 100million people out of poverty.”
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the NEDC, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, had said the commission was considering building a mechanic village for the zone in order to take the restive youths in the area from the streets and make them invaluable to the society.
Giving the rationale behind the training, the NEDC boss said, the idea of the training was to reduce the large numbers of unemployed youths in the area following the 12 years destruction of the area by the Boko Haram insurgents
He said, “The North-East is ravaged by insurgency. The commission as you know is established to assist people back to normal life.
“One of the things we normally do is to see how we can empower displaced persons. Youths as you know form a large proposition of our population, especially in the North-East.
“The zone for the past 12 years had gone through a lot of destructions, schools have been distracted, the whole place destroyed. The number of the unemployed, especially the youths are increasing and the formal jobs either from the public or private sector are becoming minimal.
“So, people should be made to be self-employed. This is why we have chosen advocacy and other career young men can do. And we thought partnering with the PAN Learning Centre in training people in various aspects of technical motor repairs can help them make a living.”
This reaffirms the lawmakers’ commitment to enacting laws and taking legislative actions geared towards the overall development of the State.
The Assembly gave the approval during its Second Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session held last Friday.
Speaking on the MTEF document during plenary, the House Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, noted that by the provision of Section 10(1)(b) of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law No. 8 of 2010, the MTEF ought to have been laid before the House in September 2025.
Amaewhule explained that traditionally, the document is expected to be presented four months before the commencement of the next financial year and immediately after the expiration of every three-year fiscal cycle.
He, however, stated that in the interest of the State and its people, the House considered it necessary to deliberate on the document, describing it as a precursor to the 2026 Budget Estimates.
The Speaker expressed concern that the year had already progressed significantly before the presentation of the framework.
During deliberations on the document, members examined the assumptions and projections contained in the MTEF and observed that strict adherence to the outlined fiscal parameters would ultimately serve the interest of Rivers people.
The lawmakers maintained that effective implementation of the framework would promote prudent financial management and enhance developmental planning across the State.
Following the debate and positive consideration by members, the Speaker put the question to the House and members voted overwhelmingly in support of the approval of the MTEF.
Meanwhile, during the same sitting last Friday, the House also received a petition from the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Dr. Gift Worlu.
The petition was presented by the member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency II, Hon. Emilia Amadi.
According to the petition, concerns were raised over an imminent security breach, threats to lives, destruction of property and alleged forceful takeover of property by some lawless persons within parts of the Local Government Area.
Presenting the petition before the House, Hon. Amadi appealed to the lawmakers to revisit the matter and take necessary steps aimed at safeguarding lives and property in the affected communities.
The House is expected to further deliberate on the petition and consider measures to address the concerns raised in order to sustain peace and security in the area.
King Onunwor
News
Fubara Reaffirms Commitment To Blue Economy, Private Sector Growth …Calls For Protection Of Marine Resources
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, made this known during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), held in Port Harcourt, last Thursday.
Represented by his deputy, Prof. Ngozi Odu, Governor Fubara described the conference theme, “The Gulf of Guinea and Blue Economy: Pathways to Trade, Investment and Security Towards a $1 Trillion Economy,” as both timely and strategic.
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?The governor welcomed the leadership of NACCIMA, delegates from the 115 Chambers of Commerce across Nigeria, members of the diplomatic corps, captains of industry, investors, and other distinguished guests to Rivers State.
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?He commended the National President of NACCIMA, Engr. Jani Ibrahim, for choosing Rivers State as the host of the 2026 conference, noting that the decision had drawn national attention to the immense economic opportunities embedded in the blue economy.
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?Fubara stated that the blue economy possesses the capacity to generate revenue that could surpass earnings from the oil and gas sector if properly developed and managed.
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?He stressed the need for Nigeria and other countries along the Gulf of Guinea to take deliberate steps toward maximizing the benefits of their maritime resources while guarding against the continued exploitation of coastal assets by foreign operators.
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?Expressing concern over the activities of foreign fishing trawlers operating in Nigerian waters, the governor noted that many harvest seafood resources without making meaningful economic contributions to the country.
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?He emphasized the need for stronger monitoring mechanisms and enhanced protection of Nigeria’s marine resources.
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?”We must wake up and hit the ground running. If we do not capitalize on and utilize our blue economy, other nations will utilize it for us,” he stated.
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?The governor thanked NACCIMA for what he described as a timely wake-up call on the importance of the blue economy and maritime security, adding that the successful hosting of the conference in Rivers State demonstrates the state’s safety, hospitality, and readiness for business and investment.
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?Earlier in his remarks, the President of NACCIMA, Engr. Jani Ibrahim, expressed appreciation to the Rivers State Government for hosting the 66th Annual General Conference of the Association and for the warm reception accorded delegates.
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?He noted that the state’s commitment to hosting the conference reflects its readiness for business and has helped restore investors’ confidence in its economic potential.
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?According to him, NACCIMA highly values the cordial relationship between the Rivers State Government and the organized private sector, emphasizing that the association remains the foremost voice of the Nigerian business community.
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?In her welcome address, the President of the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), Dr. Chinyere Nwoga, described the conference as a historic milestone, noting that it was the first time in the Chamber’s 66-year history that it was hosting the national body of NACCIMA.
Nwoga commended the national leadership for entrusting PHCCIMA with the hosting rights and pledged the Chamber’s continued commitment to advancing the objectives of the association and promoting sustainable economic growth through private sector engagement.
Fubara gave the order during his visit to the site of the collapsed building last Thursday to assess the situation.
He said the site will remain “completely sealed off” until the government gets to the “root cause” of the incident.
He described the incident as unfortunate but observed that preliminary investigation had shown that the developer had earlier refused to subject his site to inspection by the state authorities and comply with the necessary building regulations.
The governor, who inspected the site alongside the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sir Amairigha Edward Hart, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Special Duties, Dabite Sokari George, explained that he couldn’t visit the site the previous day because he was awaiting formal briefing from the relevant agency of government on the situation.
“We’re here to see for ourselves the very unfortunate incident that took place here. I didn’t come yesterday because I wanted to get the report first, and the Commissioner did brief me that the incident site, first, is not as claimed by the developer, that it’s not under the jurisdiction of the state; that it’s under the jurisdiction of the Federal Housing Authority.
“He also informed me that when the project was ongoing, they came here severally to inspect what was happening and also to see the level of compliance. But unfortunately, that the developer kept claiming that we don’t have any right to interfere,” he said.
Fubara said that the issue was no longer about interference but about the life lost to the building collapse and the collateral damage brought upon the family of the deceased.
He extended condolences to the families of the victims, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the developer had complied with the rules guiding the engineering design and construction of such a structure in the 21st century.
“We feel very sorry and very regretful that such an incident should be happening in this 21st century because technology has advanced, engineering has developed. I wonder what kind of engineer would even allow this kind of project to go on when everything about it from inception has been faulty.
“I think that at this point, nothing is going to happen on this site any more. We are going to make sure that this place is completely sealed off until we get to the root cause of this incident,” the governor said.
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