Governorship support group known as the Muri Elite Network (M.E.N), has held a training and awareness session on Youth employability and entrepreneurial skills with youths and adults in Lokoja, on Saturday.
About One hundred and thirteen youths from across the state were trained in different vocational skills such as Yoghurt making, bead-making, make-up, baking, and tailoring among other skills, while the interactive session featured a presentation on behavioural change Communication, introduction to business ethics, neurolinguistic programming, and importance of regular family session to child’s upbringing and development.
Director, programmes and strategy of Muri Elite Network, Baba Abdul Bala, stressed the importance of strategic engagement of youths to change their mindset about their ill-being with a view to changing the misconceptions and beliefs about making fortunes while exposing the participants to the principles of business success in a competitive business environment. Mr Bala said the group was in the vanguard of harnessing the potential of youths for greater economic well-being.
Mr. Bala urged the participants to learn 21st-century skills, especially emerging digital skills and channel their creative minds to money-making ventures by reviving their spirit of enterprise in order to become entrepreneurs, millionaires and problem solvers with innovative business solutions in Kogi state in line with the economic vision of SDP Governorship Candidate, Hon. Muritala Ajaka.
National Coordinator of the group, Mr Anthony Idoko, said the M.E.N entrepreneurship programme was aimed at reducing youth unemployment and indolence among the youth in Kogi state, as the organization plans entrepreneurship skills for ten thousand (10,000) youths with a focus on vocational skills under its entrepreneurship development programme.
Mr Idoko, who spoke on the importance of creative thinking and self-reliance, said youths that were engaged in gainful economic activities with innovative business ideas have the potential to become millionaires and employers of labour in their lifetime.
“We are working with professionals and inspirational business leaders and experts in different walks of life to bring out the hidden business talents in youths to make them self-employed. We train the youths to embrace entrepreneurship for sustainable livelihoods and overcome low self-esteem, indolence, and poverty through out-of-the-box thinking that will lead youthful members of the group to economic prosperity.
“Our entrepreneurship mentorship Programme is an innovative way of adding value to society and creating wealth among youths through entrepreneurship training. The Muri Elite Network, Imparts Skills to the youth in Kogi state without limitations as the organization is actively involved in economic emancipation of the youth and the downtrodden in Kogi state,” Idoko, said.
The national coordinator of (M.E.N) also used the occasion to offer voter education to the participants to reduce void votes that may occur due to wrong thumb printing on the ballot paper during voting in the upcoming Governorship election in the state. Mr Idoko, however, gave a demonstration of ‘the right thumbprinting’ to the participants, adding that “your votes determine your future.”
The youth participants in the training interviewed said they were psyched up with the inspirational insights of the speakers as they expressed gratitude to the organisation for promoting the ideals of youth entrepreneurship in Kogi State.
Dominica Nwabufo
