Representative of NMEC Executive Secretary at the Northeast Empowerment ceremony
By Abubakar Baba Ahmad.
The National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education (NMEC) has empowered 36 vocational skills learners from the six Northeastern states with starter packs under its new Empowerment Project to boost their businesses and create jobs.
The NMEC Literacy through Economic Empowerment Strategy (LEES) Project was initiated to Empower outstanding graduands, increase enrolment, and boost the overall capacity in the Non-Formal Education Sector.
This Project is tailored to assess learners in different Vocational Skills like Tailoring, Hairdressing, Shoe and Bag Making, Catering as well as Beauty and Cosmetology in all the six geopolitical zones and empower the outstanding learners with starter packs.
Speaking at the presentation of the Starter packs in Bauchi, the Executive Secretary of NMEC Professor Musa Garba Maitafsir said the commission adopted the LEES initiative to give room for the learners to compete for the limited available empowerment tools as against the system of handing them over to the state agencies for distribution.
“But while the commission is doing all it can to reinvigorate the Adult and Non-Formal Education sector and adapt to the changing realities, this onerous task cannot be accomplished without the support and diligent contribution of all stakeholders”, Maitafsir appeals.
Professor Maitafsir represented by the Head of Vocational and Continuing Education, Mrs. Ejieji Jane said the present administration is working to address the challenges of irregular payment of facilitators allowances including insufficient teaching, learning and vocational materials and the low political will towards the subsector by governments at all levels.
“It is gratifying to note that the present government is not only concerned about the situation but is also making concerted and decisive efforts to address the emerging challenges which includes, irregular payment of facilitators allowances including insufficient teaching, learning and vocational materials and the generally low political will to Adult and Non-Formal Education sector at all levels”, NMEC Executive Secretary notes.
Earlier, the Host and Executive Secretary Bauchi State Agency for Mass Education Malam Nasiru Hammah said the competition will empower the graduating learners drawn from the 6 North-Eastern states with knowledge in skills thereby increasing enrolment and boosting overall capacity in the sector.
“This important gathering will definitely empower them with a vast knowledge in skills thereby increasing enrolment and boosting overall capacity in the Non-Formal Education sector”, Nasiru Hammah states.
Speaking on behalf of other States from the Zone, the Director Gombe State Agency for Adult and Non-formal Education Abubakar Bappari who appreciated government at all levels for their effort towards adult literacy, urged all the competitiors to make judicious utilisation of the empowerment tools for the benefit of others.
In a vote of thanks, the Northeast Zonal Coordinator NMEC, Zainab Bata thanked all the participants and officials of the zone for their effort at making the event a success and advised those empowered to use the tools in uplifting others to become self reliant.
Some of the winners spoken to, Aishatu Bappa and Binta Haruna thanked all the stakeholders involved for the initiative, and called on government at all levels to invest in women empowerment to enable them contribute meaningfully to nation building.
Among all the competitors, a PLWD Ardo Usman from Adamawa won the Shoe Making Category, Andrew Philip from Gombe won the Barbing category, Maimuna Ismail and Binta Haruna both from Bauchi won in Make-up and Hair Dressing respectively, Bonang Markus from Taraba won in Catering while Usman Auwal from Adamawa won the Tailoring category.
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