By Stanley Onyekwere
As part of effort towards reducing poverty, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has has within the last one year, provided empowerment opportunities to over 19, 850 indigent youths in the Territory.
In particular, over 300 youths were trained and empowered in fish farming and aquaculture within the period under review.
The mandate secretary, FCT Social Development Secretariat, Hadiza Kabir disclosed this during the celebration of her one year in office.
Kabir said the secretariat in the last twelve months, organised moral rebranding programme in which youths from across the Six (6) Area Councils of the FCT benefited.
She revealed that over 500 youths were trained in ‘Technopreneurship’ where young persons in the territory are trained to champion small business establishments in technology-based fields like solar and computer combined with leadership trainings.
She added that the Secretariat sponsored 600 youths to participate in the 2022 Zuma Film Festival with another set of 450 youths trained in Agro-based business in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.
According to her, within this period, about 13,100 youths were trained in leather works, satellite installation, welding and metal fabrication and ICT; while another 5,500 youths were empowered and given starter packs to jumpstart their trained vocations.
The Secretary also listed other successes recorded in the last one year to include evacuation of over 12,500 beggars from the streets of Abuja while providing feeding, psycho-social counseling and repatriation to their respective states of Origin to decongest the increasing number of shanties that sprout across the Capital City Centre (CCC).
“The Secretariat had successfully evacuated 4,519 mentally retarded persons with drugs related cases out of which 502 have successfully been treated and reunited with their loved one.
“Medical Social Welfare can now be accessed in 15 FCTA Hospital as against the previous 10 hospitals that offers such assistance due to the influx of people into the Capital City.
“273 victims of drug misused persons (drug addicts) were rehabilitated through psychosocial therapy, while 81 are currently undergoing rehabilitation at the FCT Vocational center, Bwari”.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
