Ex-Kano gov advocates for skill acquisition centres in varsities
… Northerners in Poverty after abandoning Sardauna’s legacies, says Buni
From Habibu Idris Gimba, Damaturu
A former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, has called on the State and Federal Governments to establish skills acquisition centres in the universities to address the problem of growing statistics of unemployment bedeviling the country.
Shekarau made this call at a closing ceremony of some selected Yobe youths who were trained and supported with funds by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation in collaboration with the Yobe state Government to enhance their businesses.
He said each year, universities and polytechnics are producing millions of graduates without jobs, adding that the status of the seemingly saturated Nigerian Labour market leaves most graduates frustrated.
‘‘In the past many years, the challenge has been unemployment and the solution is skills acquisition. Today we have graduates with masters, degrees, and Ph.D. running around seeking employment.
‘‘What we are now saying is let go back to skills acquisition, no matter your field of studies find a particular skill, train to so that you can survive.
‘‘The message to the federal government is to ensure that all our institutions; universities, tertiary institutions should introduce a component of entrepreneurship train so that as you graduate in different field you have some skills that you can go and start living on’,’ he said
The former Minister of Education who was the Secretary of the Board of Trustees said the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation is firmly committed to complementing the efforts of Yobe, and indeed of the Northern state governments in eradicating poverty and addressing other pertinent issues.
‘‘What the foundation is doing now is to empower those that are already having on the skills, we get them more exposure more enlighten more educated. So I’m sure all these trainees will go and train others and they are going to recruit more and more,’’ he added
In his remark, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, said despite Sardauna’s legacies, the northern region has continued to embrace poverty as a result of bad leadership, corruption, and lack of good governance.
Buni who was represented by his deputy Hon Idi Barde Gubana, said for things to get right in the region it required fighting poverty alongside investment in education.
‘‘While other regions in the country are running away from poverty, the northern states are embracing poverty. We need something that will unite the North regardless of political parties or ethnicity,’’ he said
