One hundred and fifty women and youths in Maiduguri, Borno State, have been picked to receive vocational training and skills.
The training is sponsored by the Nigerian Air Force Wives Association as part of their self-reliance and poverty alleviation programme.
The beneficiaries consist of wives of Air Force personnel in the counter-insurgency war, those widowed by the war as well as selected youths from the host community.
The prolonged insurgency problem in northeast Nigeria has affected the economy of families with many living in abject poverty.
With the gradual return of peace to the region, victims are now confronted with poverty.
One of the beneficiaries, Rakiya Usman, a widow and a mother of nine said life had not been easy since her husband was killed by a suicide bomber in a mosque last September.
Wives of serving Air Force personnel were also included in the training to encourage self-reliance and help augment their husband’s resources.
Twenty three-year old Mustapha Ibrahim has been idle at home since completion of a diploma programme in the Ramat Polytechnic Maiduguri.
He was picked from the host community around the Air Force Base to gain skills for financial independence.
Some of the skills being learnt include tailoring and fashion designing, pastries and baking, soap making and aluminium work among other things.
One of the resource persons, Almustapha Yandalu, said there was a plan to secure soft loans from entrepreneurship friendly micro-finance banks while the organisers are expected to present participants with starter packages.
The skill acquisition training is expected to last 10 weeks and beneficiaries would be given starter packs to establish small scale businesses.