The Anambra state government has pledged its commitment to solving the problem of youth unemployment in the state, through opening windows of opportunity in various fields of the economy including agriculture, trade and commerce, in the civil service.
The Secretary to the State Government, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, revealed this when he visited the Umuawulu Training Camp where 178 youths were undergoing training ahead of employment into the state civil service under Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, OCHA Brigade.
The agency is in charge of environmental orderliness and task force against illegal Internally Generated Revenue collectors.
The Anambra State has a population of over four million people with the youths forming a critical mass in the structure.
The state government has shown its commitment to youths employment and empowerment through engaging them in the agricultural sector and creating career opportunities for them in the state civil service.
During the youth rally held last month in the state, Governor Willie Obiano had assured youths of more job opportunities having created within the last two years.
According to the Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Youths Empowerment, Dr. Onyeka Ibezim, the statistics of youth employment and empowerment in the state, under the present administration showed an aggressive resolve to reduce unemployment to the barest minimum.
“Anambra State Waste Management Agency, this area was initially moribund, so what did we do? We energized it and recently we have a new employment of about 600 working on that in addition to what we had before.
“In the Anambra Transport Management Authority, (ATMA) we have close to 457 new entrants into the scheme.
“In agriculture, we have more than 3,500 graduates that are structured in our various farms. As you know it is no more agriculture as usual, we are not talking of cutlass and hoe agriculture, we are talking of mechanized agriculture.”
The NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp at Umuawulu, Awka South local government area, Anambra, said 178 youths were undergoing training for onward career opportunities into the state civil service under the agency, Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, Ocha Brigade.
The Secretary to the State Government who came on inspection visit to the camp expressed gratitude to the governor for the employment move despite the critical economic situation in the country.
“The governor has also empowered 200 hundred road sweepers, men and women again and this is in addition to the previous 140 or thereabout that were employed.
This is the third batch of OCHA Brigade people that will be employed. In total, their number is coming up to about 300 people that will be located in various parts of the state.”
The trainees were drawn from the 20 Local Government Areas of the state and are to spend one month in the training camp in view of the critical job they are about to embark on.
The Superintendent emphasized discipline as the core area of training as well as pointing out the premise of operation.
“A lot of them here have different characters and from different places, so we need to bring them together to follow them as the training goes, to know those who are really out to do this job and those who have come to spy what we are doing and also find a way of thwarting what we are going to do in the field.
“That is why you see us removing some of them, dismissing some of them and replacing them with those who are ready and are here to do the training.
