Sokoto government graduates another set of 500 women trainees under poverty reduction programme 

The Sokoto state government has graduated another set of 500 women trainees under the state poverty reduction programme. 

The trainees, who were drawn from across the state, received training in leather and crafts, soap making, food and spices, tamowa production and hairdressing. 

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Governor Ahmed Aliyu reaffirmed his administration’s determination to continue to train youths and women on various trades so as to make them self -reliant. 

He said the administration had from inception to date trained hundreds of youths in different skills through Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Welfare, Local Government Affairs, Poverty Reduction Agency, as well as Women and Children’s Affairs. 

Governor Aliyu said, “All these are done as part of our modest effort to create jobs, reduce youth restiveness as well as check idleness among the teeming youths in the state.”

He added that, empowering the youths through skills acquisition programme is one of the cardinal objectives of his administration and called on all well-meaning citizens to rally round the administration to achieve the said objectives.

According to him, plans are under way to train more youths in the coming years, adding, so that at the end of our tenure, we would have achieved our target in job creation, poverty reduction, employment generation as well reducing youth restiveness in the state insha Allah. 

“This administration is working hard to create an enabling environment that would fast-track economic growth through menial jobs, promote artisanship, and other skilled trades in the state.

“In order to further create job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths in the state, we recently procured 1000 motorcycles and 500 tricycles, which were sold at subsidised rates.”

Governor Aliyu charged the graduands of the training to utilise the tools and stipends given them wisely, “so that you can cater for the needs of your families.” 

Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Muhammad Bello Sifawa, underscored the contributions of women to the economic growth of every society, and called on the graduands to justify the confidence reposed in them. 

The representative of the Sultan of Sokoto at the occasion, Alhaji Lirwanu Bello, Magajin Rafin Sokoto, applauded Governor Aliyu’s youths empowerment strategy, which would assist greatly in reducing crime and criminality in the state. 

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Poverty Reduction, Barrister Sa’adtu Yunusa, commended Governor Aliyu for his support and cooperation to poverty reduction programmes in the state. 

According to her, Governor Aliyu had invested huge amounts of money in the training and purchase of kits for use by the trainees.

Some of the beneficiaries of the training programme thanked Governor Aliyu for the opportunity accorded them to learn trades so they can fend for their children.

At the end of the event, Governor Aliyu was presented with an ‘Empowerment Trailblazer Award’.