North-East Development Commission has trained 60 youths as linesmen for Yola Electricity Distribution Company to boost electricity distribution across the 6-state region.
The initiative to bolster youth employment, which forms a critical component of the Commission’s mandate to rebuild the region from the rubbles of violent conflict.
The six-month training, conducted for the commission by Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd, took place at the Mainstream Academy, Kainji, Niger State.
At their graduation ceremony in Maiduguri, Saturday, March 2, the 60 brand new linesmen, comprising 50 makes and 10 females drawn from the six states of the region, were issued their certificates and immediate employment letters by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company to assume work, Monday, March 4.
“As the aged workers of the Yola Electricity 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,” NEDC Managing Director/CEO, Mohammed Alkali, said at the occasion.
“Also, when we went round the region with the Board of the Commission, the first challenge we encountered affecting the region was youth unemployment,” he recalled.
“We, therefore, felt the urgent need to do something about it, which produced youth capacity building and skills acquisition initiatives to steer the minds of the youths away from terror and violent conflict and engage them in productive ventures, ” The NEDC CEO recalled further.
The Managing Director of YEDC, Engr Abdurrahman Isa, thanked NEDC and its training partner, Mainstream Energy Solutions Ltd for the initiative, noting, “Staffing has been one of our problems at YEDC; these 60 new linesmen will boost our operations.”
Each of the 60 new linesmen received N250,000 as startup stipend from the NEDC before they start collecting salary.
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