National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO), a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has reiterated its commitment to empowering youths in its host community with vocational skills to enable them to contribute to national development.
Its Managing Director, Johnson Awoyomi, made the pledge, at the weekend, during the graduation ceremony of 13 youths from Iru community, Iru in Victoria Island Local Council Development Area, Lagos State.
The “Batch B Netcropreneur “ beneficiaries were trained for three months at the Oluponna Fish Farming and Resource Foundation (OFFER) Centre, Iwo in Osun State.
The graduates were trained in agribusiness (crop and livestock farming), Information Communication Technology (ICT) as well as catering and craft.
Awoyomi, represented by Ahmad Kigo, NETCO executive director, Services, said the training was one of the many corporate social responsibility (CSR) services being embarked upon by the company.
Awoyomi said: “As you all know, we can solve a lot of problems if we adopt the skills acquisition method. We can curb unemployment, create wealth and tackle insecurity which is the present focus of the Federal Government. If our youths are empowered, there will be fewer security challenges. So, we are doing this not only for Iru community but for the benefit of the entire nation.”
He said the skills impacted on the graduates, ICT, agriculture and event management, were in high demand in this era and would be of great benefit to them.
Also, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Garba Deen Muhammad, said the company and its subsidiaries would continue to promote CSR programmes that would touch the lives of millions of Nigerians.
Rector of the institute, Bernard Azeez, said the graduates were taken through rigorous training on business development that would enable them successfully run small and medium scale enterprises.
Catholic Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese, Gabriel Abegunrin, represented by Felix Akinyode, admonished the beneficiaries to utilise the opportunity in order to give back to society.
In the same vein, Oniru of Iruland, Gbolahan Lawal, represented by Bashir Afolami, lauded the cordial relationship between NETCO and the community.
Responding on behalf of the graduates, Sodiq Malik, thanked NETCO and OFFER Centre for the opportunity given to them, promising they would use it for good of the nation.
Source ~ The Sun