A total number of 1,600 youth drawn from different political wards in Imo state will benefit from the state’s skills aquisition and entrepreneurship loan scheme meant to provide loans to the youth to assist them set up any business of their choice to attain self reliance.
The governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, who handed down the promise while declaring a workshop open said the loan was for economic development and that government would monitor how it would be applied to ensure it was judiciously used.
Uzodinma, who was represented by his deputy, Prof Placid Njoku, sounded a note of warning that any person that invested the loan in something other than the economic venture would be prosecuted as the loan was meant for industrial revolution and to wipe away povety.He also added that it would assist them to engage in one business or the other to keep them away from such societal vices as kidnapping, banditary, cultism,armed robbery and the likes.
Also speaking, the commissioner for skills equisition and entrepreneurship, Hon Nobel Atulegwu, said it was his desire to bring hope to the door steps of the masses in line with the 3R mantra of the governor-rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery, reiterating that the loan scheme was to assist youth to set up businesses as successful entrepreneurs.
He said they were expected to come up with their business proposals in a process and then after due consideration,they would be given from N1m to start up their choice of business.
Commenting on the workshop, the governor’s special assistant on skills acquisition, Hon Chidi Onyebuchi, described it as worthwhile since the target of the governor was to wipe away poverty from Imo youth and prevent them from engaging in kidnapping, banditry, cultism,armed robbery and other vices associted with Nigerian youth of today.
