Rivers State Administrator, Vice-Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), has declared that his administration is prioritising investment in human capital development alongside infrastructural growth, stressing that real development goes beyond physical projects.
Ibas made the assertion on Wednesday in Port Harcourt while declaring open a 30-day fully residential Vanguard Initiative on Behavioural Modification Programme for youths in the state. He was represented at the event by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika.
“As a government, we are not only building bridges, schools, and hospitals, we are also building human capital,” Ibas said. “We want our young people to become employers, innovators, and leaders. Development is not complete until our youths rise with it. Real development is not measured only in roads and bridges, but in human capital—in minds that are trained, in hearts that are disciplined, and in hands that are willing to work.”
He explained that the Vanguard Initiative was designed to equip young people with both knowledge and character, stressing the importance of behavioural change in shaping productive citizens.
“Behavioural modification is the key to unlocking positive change; helping our young men and women to reject violence, embrace peace, resist peer pressure, and commit themselves to productive ventures,” he stated. “Today’s world is a global village. Opportunities now cross rivers and oceans. If our youths must compete, they need not only certificates but also character. Behavioural modification is the bridge that takes us from wasted potential to fulfilled destiny. This training will teach you how to resist peer pressure, avoid violence, stay away from drugs, and embrace useful skills.”
The administrator urged participants to take the training seriously, emphasising that the state government expects them to emerge as employers of labour and change makers.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development, Mrs. Ruhuoma Kejeh, said the Behavioural Modification Training (BMT) was created on the understanding that re-orientation must come before skills acquisition.
She explained that the Ministry had developed a new youth training model known as Train To Engage (TTE) to ensure that participants are not only trained but also engaged, guided, and supported to implement their skills.
“The hard truth is that skills alone are not enough. Without a renewed mindset and positive behavioural change, skills cannot translate into sustainable livelihoods. This realisation gave birth to the Behavioural Modification Training (BMT),” Kejeh said. “At the core of BMT is the belief that before we train the hands, we must first re-orient and engage the mind.”
According to her, the Ministry will in the coming days engage Skills Masters to provide training in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), vocational skills such as shoe and bag making, digital pattern design in the fashion industry, as well as agrobusiness ventures.
Blessing Ibunge
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