How 4,512 Benefited from Kogi Youths Empowerment Programme

On assumption of office on January 28, 2012, Governor Idris Wada promised to work assiduously on some Blueprints that will advance the State. One of the cardinal points of his administration promise is the advancement and development of Youths in the State.

Kogi Deputy Governor Yomi Awoniyi and Governor Idris Wada

Little wonder then that in April 2012; just three months after the promise, Governor Idris Wada inaugurated the office of the Special Adviser on Youth and Women Development to pioneer his administration commitment in the sector in order to fulfill his dream for the Advancement and Development of youths in the State.

The office under the leadership of Dr. Shinkaye Temitope since its inception has been involve in various capacity building programmes aimed at engaging the youths and women positively and facilitate their active participation in Agricultural production, vocational training and economic emancipation.

Indeed, this great passion of Governor Idris Wada’s for the development of youths have in no small way positively affected the present and future of many families in the state.

Those who are currently involve in the Governors pet project, YAD4KOGI (Youth Advancement and Development Programme for Kogi State), agricultural programme and other noble programmes targeted at the Youths has continue to count their blessings.

Noble to reiterate is the YAD4KOGI scheme which has given great value to the State and justified Capt. Wada administration Blueprints towards job creation and self – engagement. The beneficiary of this programme which consist of primary school and secondary school leavers, including school drop outs were trained to carry out
environmental sanitation activities in their various local government areas, and involved in the cleaning of roads, gutters and other public works. The Youths are equally referred to as YAD4Kogi Volunteers.

This Volunteers who are beautifully kit to enable them perform their duties effectively are been placed on a monthly stipend of N7, 000 after satisfactory completion of their duties. This particular phase of the programme is designed for the core poor who were unable to afford higher level of education.

The Volunteers usually work from 7.00am to 10.00am in their various duty post assigned to them at the local government area from Monday to Friday weekly for a period of 12 months. Within this period, they are expected to spend the remaining part of the day to learn different vocations; the cost of which is also been supplemented by the State Government.

Presently, over eight thousand volunteers have benefited from the programme with the hope of enrolling more.

These volunteers were first camped in batches at the NYSC orientation camp, Asaya, Kabba in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of the State where they were taken through weeks of rigorous training and discipline. Their camping together created opportunities for them to understand issues of development and governance while also availing them the opportunity to understand, appreciate and integrate each
other’s values which would continue to foster unity in the state. It’s no gain saying that the YAD4KOGI Programme is vigorously achieving its objectives under the leadership of the Special Adviser on Youths and Women Development, Dr. Temitope Sinkiaye who has at all time ensures that the basic philosophy behind the programme are strictly adhered to.

These philosophy includes ensuring that the volunteers are not just equipped on the field but to also build in them self esteem, self – reliance and dignity of labour towards the integration of the economic development of the state, especially at the grass root level.

Little wonder why political observers in the state continue to adjudge Governor Wada’s YAD4kogi programme as the most outstanding sector of his transformation agenda.