The Gombe State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr Julius Ishaya, Tuesday announced the state government’s plan to identify sports talents to curb youth restiveness in the state.
Ishaya said in Gombe that the engagement of youths in different sporting activities would make them desist from drug abuse, thuggery, among other social vices.
The commissioner said that the ministry would soon embark on organising inter-sport competitions between schools and communities to identify sports-talented young men and women at the grassroots across the state.
“I do not believe in engaging the service of mercenaries to represent our state in any competition but rather to equip the talents in the state.
“Winning the competition with mercenaries does not matter but equipping the talents ahead of other future competitions is my concern,” he said.
Ishaya said that the ministry had evolved series of programmes for youths to be trained in tailoring, plumbing, hair dressing among others, irrespective of their educational qualifications.
He staed further that there is the need for the graduate youths to also be equipped with additional skills alongside paper qualifications.
Ishaya said the beneficiaries must show interest in the training programmes and not to participate with the wrong mindset.
The commissioner stated that the beneficiaries must be willing to learn skills that would assist them in becoming self-dependent and job creators.
“This time around, it is not going to be business as usual. The training is going to be for only serious and committed ones,” he said. (NAN)
