ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), under the supervision of the Kogi State Government have empowered 750 youths in nine vocational skills equipment worth N41 million naira in Kogi state.
The Country Director Of ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi disclosed this at the handover ceremony of Youth Income Generating Livelihood Equipment to beneficiaries from various communities in Kogi state.
The Country Director who was represented By the Impact Assessment and Shared Learning Manager, Mr. Samuel Ikani, stated that two years ago, when they flagged off the “System and Structure Strengthening Approach against Radicalisation to Violent Extremism (SARVE II) Project in Kogi State, they did promise to support vocational skills training for 750 youths and thereafter provide starter packs for them to start up their businesses.
She noted that ” this promise was fulfilled as ActionAid Nigeria in partnership with Participation Initiative for Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID) under the supervision of the Kogi State Government handed over 9 vocational skills equipment worth N41,000,000 (113,888 USD) to 750 youths in Kogi State.
Her words, “While young women and men seek opportunities to invest their potentials, they are often negatively affected by poverty, marginalization, unemployment, and under-employment, and often find themselves lacking the necessary literacy, capabilities, and skills to overcome these issues.
“This makes them a vulnerable target of recruitment by violent extremist groups that exploit their frustrations and vulnerability. With Kogi State’s 38.97% unemployment rate and 28.81% underemployment rate according to the quarter 4 of 2020 report of Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), youths of the state stand the risk of being vulnerable to possible recruitment by a violent extremist group.
“Given this, ActionAid Nigeria and PIBCID with funding from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, (GCERF) took steps in reducing the vulnerability of these youth, through the provision of vocational skills training to boost their income generation by making them entrepreneurs as a panacea in the prevention of violent extremism in Kogi State.
“Some of the results achieved through the SARVE II project include, 1,614 persons (youth-600 men, 505 women: 509 adult women) reached, with useful life skills to keep them engaged and away from the influence of extremist groups; capacity of 30 police officers built to respond to rising issues on violent extremism through the crucial Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) while working closely with community policing structures that already exist.
“In the same vein, 6 Local Government Conflict Management Alliance (LOCMA) structures were established in 6 LGAs in Kogi State to prevent conflicts from the communities and promote peace at large. In Kogi State, the project supported the enactment of the Kogi Youth Development Commission Law which is designed for the inclusion and engagement of youths in government and the creation of more employment opportunities within the state.
She added that this will further reduce the vulnerability of youths to violent extremism, saying that efforts are also being made to achieve the same in Nasarawa state.
Speaking also the Executive Director of PIBCID, Halima Oiza Sadiq, called on the beneficiaries to put the items to good use, saying that this will make them to become self reliant and employers of labour..
She commended them for participating to the end of the Programme which she said accounted for their being selected to benefit From the gesture.
“ActionAid is an organization that is dedicated to the fight against poverty; its vision is a world, without poverty and injustice, in which every person enjoys his or her right to life with dignity,” she noted.
