Folarin Flags Off NCDMB GSM Repair Training For 500 Youths In Ibadan
By Kazeem Awojoodu, Ibadan
Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin has flagged off NCDMB GSM training repair in Ibadan.
Naijanewshub.com.ng reports that In his quests to reduce the level of unemployment rate among the youths in Oyo state, the lawmaker representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Teslim Folarin, has on Monday flagged off a GSM training for no fewer than 500 youths in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The training that was facilitated by Senator Teslim Folarin who doubles as the Chairman Senate Committee on Local Content through the office of the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote was designed to empower thousand of youths with a lifetime opportunities.
Speaking at the official flag off of the training at the University Of Ibadan, Senator Folarin who was represented at the event by Hon. Mojeed Olaoya, a chaiftain of All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state charged the participants who are beneficiaries of the program to be more serious with the training.
He said, We are for the purpose of empowering our youths in repair of GSM phones and maintenance and about 500 youths have been mobilized to benefit from this program and after the one month training they will be empowered with starter pack like laptops, money to start their businesses, and according Mr. Malik from NCDMB they will be introduced into a cooperative union to enable them have access to loan and other benefits, at the same time the scheme has been designed in such a way that NCDMB are going to pay for their shops at the end of the training.”
“This is a good program most especially at this crucial time, it is way of taking away our youths from the streets, taking them out of poverty, the Senator Teslim Folarin is the facilitator of this program being the chairman senate committee of local content, so this exercise is directly under his leadership, he brought this to Oyo state to empower the youths of the state, we have seen many other senators that are there but not thinking of such a program like this for their people, just few months ago Senator Folarin also facilitated an agricultural empowerment training scheme for youths where most of the beneficiaries of that agricultural empowerment scheme are no longer searching for white collar jobs again.”
“Most of them are graduates from various universities across the country, some of them are even have master degrees and today some of them are into fish farming and they are doing well on their farms, so my charge to the participants is that they should see this training as an opportunity, and they should take it more serious, they should not take it with levity, they should see it that there are some people outside who are looking for this kind of opportunity but they don’t have someone to help them, they are not paying any dime for this training and they are going to get all the required training and empowerment tools at the end of the training so they should embrace it.” He stressed.
While speaking with newsmen shortly after the flag off event, Alhaji AbdulMalik Halilu, the General Manager of Research, Statistics and Development of Nigerian Content and Monitoring Board, said ‘What we have commissioned today is the beginning of GSM technician empowerment program, which comes under NCDMB youth empowerment program.”
AbdulMalik noted that the reason for choosing GSM repair is that Nigeria tele-density has crossed the hundred percent threshold which means there is significant GSM penetration across all part of Nigeria and we felt that with the growth in ICT sector the training will also provide an opportunity for empowerment of youths because if we have a sector that is growing then it means there is opportunity for employment and an opportunity for development of all the inputs required to develop the sector for ICC sector, we are talking of software development, hardware development, installation of systems, and also the ability to assemble GSM phones.
He further said, “We have structure the GSM technician training to create technical skills for youths to understand the anatomy of GSM how to repair phones, how to install software and to also have basic foundations on software development and it is our expectations that once we are able to take 500 youths on the streets of Oyo state, we would have contributed to the federal government aspirations to empower youths and create employment.'”
“The reason why we adopted this model is in realization of the fact that its not just technical skills that makes the individuals, it is also the enabling environment to succeed and that is why we have not just designed the training for class room training, there is also an apprenticeship training which requires the participants to have direct contact with the super GSM technicians who understand the business, who have a marketing based and who also understand how to be successful in the business, they will provide the mentorship for these youths, they will provided the hands on experience and by the time we finished classroom and the apprentice phases we will set them up as business entity through registration with corporate affairs Commission(CAC) and the state cooperative board so they can be able to stand on their own as business entities.”
“In addition to that, we are also providing them with furnished shops because we want to close the gap between the technical skills and ability to operate as business entities, so the shops will provide them the environment to operate and we are also providing them with the starter packs which is the working tools and also the laptops to enable them to operate their businesses. Also just as we normally do in other states, we do write to the state government to provide local incentives for new businesses, as you aware the issue of taxation, the issue of alternative power supply crippling businesses so we seek support from the state government to ensure that they are protected and if they are able to succeed with the first 3 years then it means they can last more than 10 years, but if you don’t create an enabling environment for them to thrive in their businesses then that means that whatever we have invested in terms of training and empowerment will not see the light of the day.”
“So our expectations is that working with government and other stakeholders 500 youths that have been inaugurated today will be part of the major contributors to the socio economic development of not just Oyo state but Nigeria at large.” AdulMalik said.
While speaking on the criteria needed for the training, AbdulMalik said said, “secondary education is the criteria and local mobilization irrespective of political linage or where you come from, he further said, “we are mindful of the need of inclusivity of what we do, so you can see that the part are youths, some are persons with disabilities, ladies and men in this stream we make sure we cut across all the facet of the youths in selection.”
“My charge to the participants is to count themselves lucky, this is a rear opportunity, what most government institutions do is to give you training, but ours goes beyond just training it is an end to end, you will be further empowered, you will be further enabled, it is now your responsibility to see that this is rear opportunity and embrace it, see it as economic prosperity for yourself and economic prosperity for your family, for your community and ultimately for your country.” AbdulMalik stressed.
Earlier in his welcome address the consultant of the training program, Mr. Yakub Adelakun the consultant, said “We want the participants to be self employed and the only thing that is viable in Nigeria today is vocational training.”
“We are very optimistic that the skilled acquired during the training will make the participants to stand out and make them employer of labour, it will give them that edge over others, the participants should have it at the back of their minds that we are giving them the best of the best training here, they will learn about the software and the hardware, we will also link them to the GSM superpower technicians and also we will create an enabling environment for them to be able to make better use of the skills they’ve learnt.”
“The only way for us to do that is to give them the capital and the start up pack, we will open a shop for them and furnished it with GSM repair tools which at the end of the day we will try as much as possible to create a linkage between then and the end users, so my charge to them is that they should take the training with all level of seriousness, they should try to make use the opportunity they have now at the training and they should see it as a way of becoming an employers of labours.”
Some of the participants that spoke with the newsmen expressed their gratitude to Senator Folarin for bringing such opportunity to them.
A Participant, Mr. Jimon Nurudeen Abiodun from Ona Ara local government area of the State said, I’m so grateful to Senator Teslim Folarin for this training opportunity, even with my disability I was still given an opportunity to be among the beneficiaries, I’m an HND graduate of accounting from the Polytechnic of Ibadan but I don’t have job, so for me to be among of this trainees of this GSM phone repair facilitated by Senator Teslim Folarin I’m so happy and I promise to make good use of the training and the empowerment scheme for betterment of myself and the general public at large.”
Also on her contributions another beneficiary, Oladomeji Olaitan, said, “I feel excited and I see this training as a great opportunity for me. I really appreciate Senator Teslim Folarin for this opportunity and I urge my colleagues to make good use of this opportunity.