A training workshop for 37 Master Trainers for the N-Skills Programme, an arm under Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme N-Power, has commenced in Abuja.
Declaring the training session open, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq said that the N-Skills programme targets marginalized and disadvantaged population, including those with primary or no-formal education.
The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mr Bashir Nura Alkali stated that the 37 Master Trainers will later coordinate the training of 6,475 youths selected from the 36 States and FCT.
“The Ministry worked with experienced training service providers to carefully select those to be trained today as Master Trainers. We expect these Master Trainers to effectively play their role of coordinating the training of the target beneficiaries of the N-Skills programme in their respective States and FCT.
“The success of the programme relies to a large extent on your capacity and commitment to ensure effective delivery of the training, especially in the three important areas of Life Skills, Foundational Skills and Entrepreneurial Skills.
“I urge you to, therefore, participate actively to learn and enhance your capacity. I am confident that with the calibre of resource persons and facilitators assembled here, this goal will be achieved”.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, NSIP Dr Umar Bindir noted that N-Power targets delivery capacity and capability alongside skills. He added that this is one of the measures being taken to ensure that no one is left behind under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2032.
“The training targets the unlearned so that every category of Nigerians will have something to fall back on”.
In his remarks, the Team Lead, N-Power Mr Nsikak Okon stated that 175 N-Skills beneficiaries were selected through random sampling from each of the 36 states and the FCT.
“We target market places and other informal places as well as the streets.
“The essence of training the Master Trainers is to ensure that they get it right from the foundation. They have to know the entrepreneurial skills as well as life skills so that when they go back to the grassroots, they will be able to impart what they have been taught”.
Upon completion of the training, the target beneficiaries will be provided with Start-up Kits.