Benue First Lady reiterates resolve to create jobs for youths

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Wife of Benue State Governor Mrs. Yemisi Suswam has reiterated her resolve to give hope to the hopeless and create employment for the youths through her pet project, Sev-Av foundation.

Mrs. Suswam who made the pledge at the weekend when she graduated over one hundred and seventy- seven (177) graduates trained in different areas under its Skills Acquisition Scheme for 2014 across the state, maintained that the aim of the program is make the youths to be self-reliant.

“When we came on board, there was need for urgent intervention, a situation that gave rise to establishment of the Sev-Av Skills Acquisition Centres to train particularly women and Benue youths to be self-reliant.”

Mrs Suswam who said it was her intention to sustain the programme even after her husband left office as governor of Benue state, however intimated that fees would be introduced to enable the program to continue run.

“Training of students in the skills acquisition centres cost at least eighty thousand naira per person, but we intend to introduce a fee of twenty five thousand, to make those enrolled in the programme to be committed since most of them abandon the training midway out of carelessness, laziness and without any genuine course,” she stated.

Mrs Suswam therefore, appealed to gove rnment both at the local and state level, private individuals and organizations to sponsor those who would want to enrol into the program.

“We wish to introduce a fee, but I am appealing to government, private individuals and organisations to sponsor those who would want to enroll into the programme and encourage graduates of the school by providing employment for them,” she pleaded.

Mrs. Suswam further encouraged members of the public to patronise products made from the Sev-Av skills Acquisition Centre, stressing “our products are of high quality and you will not be disappointed if you patronise them.”

Governor Gabriel Suswam said his administration’s policy to fight poverty amongst the people through the introduction of skills acquisition program, stating that he has sent indigenes of the state abroad for training to acquire skills in various fields to become self-reliant.