NEDC trains 60 youths on energy skills
Managing Director NEDC, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali at the event in Maiduguri.
By Dauda Iliya
The Managing Director, North East Development Commission, NEDC Alhaji Mohammed Akali says the Commission has initiated numerous empowerment programmes to high unemployment rate in the region.
Alhaji Alkali stated this during the graduation ceremony of sixty linesmen selected across the six states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
He explained that the initiative is part of the Commission’s mandate to rebuild the region and make the youths productive members of the society.
The Managing Director remarked that linesmen went through rigorous training for six months to maintain efficient electricity distribution across the North East.
“When we went round the region with the Board of the Commission, the first challenge we encountered affecting the region was youth unemployment,” Alkali recalled.
Alhaji Mohammed Alkali emphasized the need to continously engage youth in productive ventures as well as skills acquisition initiatives to steer their minds away from violent conflict.
“As the aged workers of the Distribution Company are retiring, we envisioned the need to build the capacity of the youths to take over from them to maintain efficient electricity distribution across the region” Alkali said.
Executive Director of the Energy Company Alhaji Usman Umar, announced that all the sixty graduands have been offered automatic employment to bolster the operation of energy industry.
Two of the beneficiaries, Mohammed Gambo from Borno and Habibu Kassim from Bauchi appreciated NEDC and the energy company for the training, assuring to be dedicated and put into practice what they have learned.
Each of the sixty new linesmen comprising fifty male and ten female would received 250,000 naira as stipend courtesy of NEDC before they start collecting salary.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Commission Alhaji Mohammed Akali has handed over keys of two utility vehicles representatives of Nigerian Arabic village and North East Governors’ Forum Secretariat.
