Speak-Up Volunteers Initiative, an NGO, says plans are underway to train 50 youths from Ebonyi State on different skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to reduce unemployment and other social vices.
Barrister Uche Ifeanyi, convener of the group disclosed this in a statement he issued on Friday in Abuja, saying that the 50 youths comprise of unemployed women, students and undergraduates.
Ifeanyi said that part of the plans by the group for its annual community service was the enrolment of youths for digital training.
According to him, the beneficiaries have been selected and the group also carried out a sensitisation exercise at the popular Eke market Afikpo in Afikpo North local government area of the state.
He said that the exercise which attracted over 200 participants was aimed at promoting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria (SDGs).
“The sanitisation exercise has its local theme as “Ozi oha: i nwoteo ekaoru?” translated as community service: are you employed? – aimed at curbing cultism, unemployment and other social vices in the state.
“We came up with the concept to impact on people by cleaning up the popular Eke market in Afikpo and the motor park area. We have to move away from the old order of doing things, because I am passionate about the SDGs.
“Everything we do is anchored on the United Nation’s SDGs. However, I implore Ebonyi people, especially Afikpo residents and business owners to maintain clean environment and hygiene through proper waste disposal.
“We have selected people we will empower through training on ICT. This will help to reduce the rate of cultism, youth restiveness and curb poverty.”
He, however, appealed for financial support from organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to fund its laudable initiatives of training the youths, adding that the group has been engaging in this kind of activity for over three years.
Mr Kelechi Agha, a student and participant at the exercise described the sanitation as a welcomed development and encouraged Ebonyi state indigenes to maintain good hygiene.
“This sanitation service was necessitated by a concerned citizen, a legal practitioner, for the benefit of Ebonyi people.
“It is the first of its kind and I implore all Ebonyi people to support the laudable objective,” he said.
Similarly, another participant, Mr Bernard Eluu, said that the exercise is paramount in view of the fact that health is wealth.
“Health is wealth. We want to make sure the environment is clean that is why we have to engage in this selfless service of cleaning the environment. Passersby have been lauding us and it is worth the while,” he said. (NAN)
