The Ogun state government has lauded the initiative of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) targeted towards empowering youths with crucial life and career skills.
At the ‘Youth Empowered Nigeria Workshop’ organised by the Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) on Monday at the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, the Ogun state Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, while noting that the potential of the Nigerian youth will be fully realised through deliberate investment in education, skill development and empowerment, emphasised the importance of collaboration between the government, private sector and development partners towards equipping the youth with the needed skills in modern workforce to create a resilient economy, stimulating innovation and fostering job creation.
The Deputy Governor who identified unemployment, underemployment and critical gaps in employability skills as the most pressing challenges facing the Nigerian youth, emphasised that as drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship and social progress, the youth must be empowered to make a remarkable impact in the society.
Reiterating the commitment of the state government towards tackling unemployment, the deputy governor said initiatives such as the OgunTech Hub, Ogun Youth Empowerment Scheme and OgunCares are measures taken to address unemployment headlong and make the state the leading hub for youth-driven economic growth, lauding the Nigerian bottling Company for organising the skills programme for the students.
In a welcome address, the NBC Execution Excellence Director, Mr Ahmed Alao explained that over 50,000 youth have been empowered across the country through the programme, adding that empowering the youth is part of the corporate social responsibility and cornerstone of the mission of the bottling company.
In a remark, the Deputy Director-General, Ogun Investment promotion and facilitation agency, Ms. Sola Arobieke commended NBC for taking interest in youth development and empowerment,saying the Youth Empowered Nigeria programme is in tandem with the vision of the current administration to make the youth self- reliant through various empowerment programmes.
The MAPOLY Rector, Dr Adeoye Odedeji noted that the Youth Empowered Nigeria Workshop will help bridge the existing employability skills gap,adding that the award of degrees and diplomas in the nation’s higher institutions of learning is no longer enough without vocational and digital skill acquisition.
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