As search for non-existent white collar jobs becomes more elusive, the Commissioner, Ministry of Employment Generation and Empowerment, in Rivers State, Dr. Ipalibo Harry has made it clear that only management of your own small or medium scale business can create wealth in the society.
The Commissioner stated this in Port Harcourt while declaring open a 10 day training workshop on vocational and entrepreneurship skills to support the establishment of small and medium scale businesses (SME’) in Rivers State.
Dr. Harry said though employment might reduce poverty, but it cannot create wealth.
He frowned at a situation where qualified graduates spend years looking for white collar jobs that rarely exist, instead of starting a small business that will grow with time and even employ more people.
The Commissioner was emphatic that until youths begin to do practical works, it will be difficult to take possession of the opportunities that surround them.
According to the Empowerment Generation boss, the programme therefore was meant to bring out the hidden talents in the youths to control their God-given endowment.
He challenged the participants to make maximum use of the opportunity created by the 10 day training workshop.
The Commissioner said his Ministry has concluded arrangement to attach young engineers to the Ministry of Works to supervise road construction and by so doing, acquire experience.
Dr. Harry also said his administration has entered into partnership with ‘Park and Shops Supermarket to train Rivers indigenes on mall management in Dubai, expressing confidence that the programme will achieve the desired goal.
In her remark at the event, the Permanent Secretary in Empowerment Generation and Employment Ministry, Mrs. Iragunima Comfort said the programme was meant to assist the participants gain self-employment.
The Permanent Secretary said her ministry was collaborating with other agencies like RSSDA to create employment for Rivers people, adding that the training workshop was to spur the employment generation potentials of the participants.
She noted that the natural potentials of the people cannot be actualized without a little push, which the workshop was meant to provide.
The idea, Mrs. Iragunima said is to train the participants to the extent that they can access funds and eschew social vices, thereby becoming better citizens to the state and the country at large.
Earlier the chairman of the occasion and the State Director of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Chief Napoleon Amachree had said that he was grateful to the governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi for approving the training and the commissioner for his vision.
He said the programme was aimed at energizing the communities, urging the participants on completion of the training to establish their farms in rural areas.
Chief Amachree reminded the participants that packaging good proposals after graduation will go a long way to determining the extent their business acceptability and success in the state will go.
He charged the participants to make the state government proud through their conduct or performance after the training.
The workshop with its theme, “Community Based Self-Employment/Business Skills Development” attracted entrepreneurs from all walks of life. ###
Barth Ndu
