Insecurity: NCNE trains 56 nomadic youths on entrepreneurship skills

The National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE) has trained 56 nomadic youths in various skills as part of the Commission’s efforts to provide youths with modern entrepreneurship skills, address insecurity, poverty and unemployment across the country. 

The three-day capacity development workshop on Skills Acquisition and Sustainable Livelihood for Nomadic Youth, which started in Kaduna on Monday, drew participants from Oyo, Adamawa, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Kwara and Kebbi states. 

The participants will be trained on livestock and dairy development, fashion design and hair dressing.

Addressing the training workshop on Monday, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Bashir Usman, who was represented by the Commission’s Director, Quality Assurance, Mr Akin Akinyosoye, said, “Our teeming youths are eager to imbibe relevant livelihood skills in providing food security and income to millions families. Out of the 1 billion people involved in rural menial jobs globally, over half of them are dependent on livestock, agriculture and emerging innovative entrepreneurship skills for livelihoods. 

“Most rural skills dependent people live in developing countries including Nigeria. As part of efforts by the Commission to promote delivery of skills, extension education and services to the nomadic communities across the country, the Commission conducted participatory needs assessment and identification of trainees for this important skills acquisition training. The exercise facilitated in providing evidence based data from 532 respondents for planning and implementation of the capacity development training for the youth gathered here today.

“Empowering the youth through skills acquisition and sustainable livelihood  can go a long way in reducing poverty of many rural societies, reduce restiveness, social vices such as cattle rustling, kidnapping, raping, rural banditry, piracy and incessant conflicts leading to wanting destruction of lives and properties. When a youth learn skills, he can use the skill learnt to feed, send his children to school, assist others with employment and even invest for the future. A youth who is empowered with improved animal husbandry skills can earn from it sustainably till he dies.”

The Executive Secretary however, tasked the resource persons to ensure the enrolment of all the 3.5 million out-of-school nomadic children. He urged

the participants to pay attention to the imparting of knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills as well as utilize numerous global and emerging innovative techniques to improve the quality of their lives, production systems and the education of their children in future.

The Director of Extension Education and Skills Development, Dr Abdu Umar Ardo, in his remarks said 56 nomadic youths were carefully selected from seven states of the country in order to build their skills based on their needs and their various community needs, for the development of their various communities and the society at large.