Plugging Unemployment Gaps: The Reason For My Human Capital Development Initiatives—Rep. Sam Onuigbo *As Over 300 Constituents Are Trained

Rep. Sam Onuigbo, Member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency of Abia State says provision of entrepreneurial skills, among others is the cornerstone of his focus on human capital development.

Rep. Onuigbo who is also the President of Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE) Nigeria, his unflinching commitment to drastically eradicating unemployment from among his constituents, lamenting that the hike in the extant unemployment rate in the constituency and Nigeria in general could only be palliated by equipping the people with basic knowledge to engage in small-scale economic activities.

The Lawmaker stated this today, Thursday during the closing ceremony of the 21-Days Skills Acquisition Programme organised by Sam Onuigbo Daughters Initiative, (SODI), at Amuzukwu Primary School, in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, in line with Chief Onuigbo’s ongoing mouthwatering empowerment programmes for the people of his constituency.

In his remarks, as presented by the Lawmaker’s Liaison Officer, Evang. Abraham Osondu, the Federal Lawmaker who opened by drawing attention to Fernando Pessoa’s views on Education, hence “Education is undeniably the acquired resource that drives our knowledge-based society [and consequently] the ability of individuals and nations to create wealth is positively related to the quality of education available” pointed out that;
“those views project more the totality of knowledge which includes gathering proficiency in other skills, especially those that can help create jobs and consequently provide means of livelihood.”

“It is this belief that to adequately respond to the gaps in livelihood means, one must now look towards provision of other entrepreneurial skills for our people, that has been the cornerstone of my focus on human development,” Odozi Obodo continued.

“We cannot reduce the alarming unemployment rate in our Federal constituency and indeed Nigeria, if we do not pay attention to equipping our people with knowledge to engage in small-scale economic activities.”

Rep. Sam Onuigbo recalled that one of his primary focuses since assumption of office, has been the relentless zeal to work assiduously to ameliorate the rate of unemployment in the constituency.

In his words: “The drive to do all I can to reduce the rate of unemployment among my people has always been one of the primary focuses of my representation moreso, during the 9th Assembly.
Of course, we did a number of training and empowerment programmes during the 8th Assembly but we have become more relentless and deliberate about it now.

” For instance, prior to the period between November, 2020 to May, 2021 when we had series of training and empowerment programmes, I had series of training and empowerment programmes”, he explained.

Meanwhile, empowerment and training programmes attracted and executed by the ebullient political leader among others are: diverse skills acquisition and empowerment projects- including those that required participants to be sent to sister-states such like Ebonyi and Imo for a range of artisans and fashion and designing trainings; training and empowerment of 1,500 women and men on how to run small businesses, which was accompanied by two separate training and empowerment programmes, in February and March, 2021, for small- holder poultry farmers where galvanized battery cages, bags of feed, point of Lay birds and Mone money were given to about 200 men and women from the constituency.

Onuigbo, who is also the Chairman of Climate Parliament Nigeria commended the leadership of Sam Onuigbo Daughters Initiative(SODI) for the success of the 3-week training session, which featured soap making, pastries and cakes, decoration, make up, hair making, and a lot more. In addition, he pledged to provide some stipends to forty of the participants who have excelled, as would be recommended by organizers and teachers with stipends first and later with equipment to set up their businesses.

Addressing newsmen, the Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Chimezie J. Kanu applauded the high-spirited Legislator for always fulfilling his promises to the people particularly in driving home his political ideology of EAR: Effectiveness, Accessibility and Responsiveness.
Hon. Kanu charged the participants to leverage on the training they had acquired, adding, “you can see what they have produced, both the pastries, beads, hair, and you now know that our girls, instead of indulging in some social vices, will now be gainfully self-employed and even become entreprenuers and by so doing, they’ll begin to employ others who will come to acquire skills from them.”

He, therefore, enjoined the participants to endeavour to maximize the golden opportunity thrown to their doorstep by the people-oriented political leader, thus making its impacts visible on the society, while advising others yet to benefit from the programmes to remain hopeful.

Chief Kanu assured everyone that Odozi Obodo. would not relent in his promise of making them employers of labour through various empowerment schemes.

In her speech, Chief (Mrs.) Ego Nwanmuo who represented Pst. Mrs. Chinyere Onuigbo, wife of the Lawmaker, lauded Chief Onuigbo not only for the various empowerment programmes attracted and executed, but also for his visionary and purposeful leadership pattern.

While commending the resource persons, Pst. Mrs. Onuigbo through Chief Ego Nwamuo urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the acquired knowledge in order to make better their families and the society in general, as she described the benefactor as a pacesetter.

Interacting with newsmen, the founding members of SODI represented by their leader,Mrs. Eziaku Omeaku, thanked the Legislator for his frequent display of benevolence and fatherly love towards them. According to them, their desire to organize young people to form the initiative was driven by the rate of unemployment ravaging the teeming youths, which they regretted had ruined the lives of many young people in the society.

They described lack of skill among the present day youths as the major cause of corruption in the society, pointing out that “as water is essential to human being, so is skill needed in the life of every serious-minded person.” The group advised every participant not to allow the golden opportunity slip off their fingers.

In his closing remarks, Hon. Ikechukwu Owobe the APC Zonal Chairman, Abia State, described the Lawmaker as a man whose words are his bonds, as he thanked the latter for always having at heart the interest of his Constituents.

Meanwhile, the epoch making event had in attendance some stakeholders of the APC in Ikwuano LGA, such as; APC L. G. A Woman Leader Ikwuano, Mrs. Glory Ikeanya; APC Chairman, Ikwuano, Hon. Tony Mpamah; Former Executive Deputy Chairman Ikwuano L. G. A. Hon. Tony Alaribe, APC Zonal Woman Leader Abia State, Lolo Josephine Chukwu, among others.

Highlight of the life changing event was the presentation of various creative work of arts by participants which served as evidence of the skills acquired in the course of the 21-day training, as items in display included Cakes, beautifully designed beads, hair, etc.

The event also featured a prayer session for blessings upon the Lawmaker, led by the officiating Priest.