Expert Faults Implementation of Anambra Youths Skill Empowerment Initiative

By Olisemeka Obeche

Dr. Obiora Peters Emeka, an astute banker, accountant, entrepreneur, finance analyst and researcher has picked holes with the implementation of the Anambra State government’s ‘One Youth Two Skills’ initiative of Governor Chukwuma Soludo administration.

Dr. Emeka who is a fellow of chartered institute of finance and control of Nigeria; Fellow, Association of Management and Social Science Researchers of Nigeria with over 16 publications, made the observation while speaking as a guest lecturer during the 2023 edition of Elite Youths of Anam Foundation, EYAF’s summit held at Umueze Anam over the weekend.

Speaking on the theme: Human Capital Development: Breaking Socio-Economic/Cultural Bounds; had Emeka identified acquisition of skills with economic values as panacea to human capital development. Even as he stressed the importance of acquiring university degrees or post graduate degrees, he insisted that acquiring skills that can fetch economic values remain the best way to empower the youths.

“The government of Anambra state has a good vision by investing in a skill acquisition program for the youths. That is commendable. Even though the policy is good, its implementation is faulty because there is no mechanisms for tracking achievements and what that means is that the beneficiaries would squander the seed money given to them.

“There must be a way of tracking beneficiaries of the scheme to ensure that they put the skills they acquired into use with the funds. That is the only way we can have value for our money.

“Unfortunately, that is not happening and they need to correct that because the scheme is a laudable one”, he stressed, in an interview with Anambradaily.

To the participants, he admonished: “You must go to the university so that your wild nature will be stripped off you. But beyond that, you need a skill to advance and make legitimate money and live a good

life.

“Do you know that you can actually make more money from your android phones without committing fraud?! Yes you can. All you need is skill and knowledge on how to deploy them”, he stressed.

Emeka also seized the opportunity to appealed to government to address the infrastructural deficits in Anambra west to enable residents of the area enjoy equal access to quality education, health and other social amenities.

“Government should provide accommodation for teachers in schools in the area, ensure that schools have functional facilities that support teaching and learning as well as other basic amenities to give our people that inclusion.

“It’s only when government has failed that citizens can intervene, as most of our age grades are doing in Anam. Right now, our expectation is that the Prof. Chukwuma Soludo administration would make good its promises of opening up Anambra West and ensuring that our people have those amenities they have yearned for in the past.