By Medonna Akre
The Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Hon. Chika Ossai, has applauded Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration for raising the bar of governance in the state, saying the SMART economic agenda of the governor has benefitted Deltans especially the youths in the past four years.
Ossai made the remark while fielding questions from journalists during a thanksgiving service to mark the 28th anniversary of the creation of Delta State, held at the Government House Chapel, Asaba, capital of the state. Ossai noted that the job creation policy of the governor was critical as it had created opportunities for youth employment, adding that it would open more opportunities for the teeming youths to be gainfully employed in the coming years.
“The job creation programme of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is a critical element of his economic blueprint simply known as the SMART Agenda. It is quite obvious that a lot of job opportunities were created for the youths in the last four years and more opportunities will be created for youths across the state to develop their entrepreneurial skills and build capacity to be self-employed,” he stated.
Ossai, however, lamented the fallen standard of education in Nigeria, saying that many youths are unemployable despite the array of degrees they parade. He said the development was a worrisome phenomenon that must be nipped in the bud.
“There is a problem with the youths in the current generation as a lot of them are not employable. It is a serious issue the society needs to address. There is need for adequate capacity building of the youths to enhance their potentials and creativity.
“We in the trade and investment sector is looking at expanding the scope of entrepreneurial skills development of the youths. In doing that, we are looking at mindset and value reorientation to put the youths on the right pedestal to driving their economic growth, which in turn would reduce the dependency level on government subvention and support,” he noted.
In the same vein, Hon. Boro Opudu, Chairman, Delta Waterways and Land Security, described the SMART Agenda as a welcome development, noting the huge progress it has made in job creation and youths entrepreneurial skills development over time. He called on Deltans to eschew all forms of violence and embrace peace in totality so that the right atmosphere will be created for economic and industrial development of the state in line with the SMART Agenda of governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
