The Ebonyi State Commissioner For Skill Development and Job creation, Hon. Elijah Okwu Oko-Udu could be captured as fortunate when measured by age and present disposition in the government of His Excellency Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru. Yet he has continued to carry the face of the government obligational mantra with every sense of responsibility and demure, representing both Edda and Ebonyi youths in a good light.
In this interview with Eze Sampson he led us through his journey and broadened the government’s position regarding youths and empowerment as captured at the government’s Peoples’ chatter of need.
Here are the excerpts
Hon. Can we know you please?
Thank you very much, my name is Honourable Okwu Oko-Udu, because my name was typographically written wrongly during our nomination people write my name as Ugwu, NO! That is not my name. My name is Okwu Oko Udu.
By his grace I am serving as a commissioner in Ebonyi State, Commissioner for Skills Development and Job Creation.
Interesting, can you tell us what your ministry is all about?
The ministry as encapsulated in the peoples’ charter of need according His Excellency, Governor Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru is geared towards skill development. You know education only offers one knowledge but skill establishes someone. A lot of youths are talented, our ministry is geared towards potential discoveries, discovering the potentialities in people. People are naturally embedded with skills, so my ministry is saddled with the responsibility of developing such skills, self-discovery, giving somebody self-reliance, especially the youths. You see, the high level of unemployment is the major reason my ministry was given birth, that is the genesis of my ministry. His Excellency Builder Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru looked at it as a necessity, very expedient, something very important that’s why he created it he didn’t create it to be a ministry for political settlement. Instead he created it to build the youths, to give the youths direction.
You see youths roaming about across the cities, especially people from Ebonyi State, it’s high time we change the narrative that’s why God decided to give us a man like governor Nwifuru who has seen it as the only way to reduce the stigma of hawkers that we Nde Ebonyi are known with. The ministry is self-discovery, you discover your potentials, your talents, what God has bestowed on you.
Many people are good, you know skill is a natural endowment, it’s self-induced, it’s something that God has giving you and it’s something that should be developed. For instance, when you look at someone from afar you hardly know what that person is endowed with but when you bring that person close give him a room, an avenue to develop, you will see the realities of what the person is made of, the manifestations of what the person carries. So that’s the essence of this Skills Development as a ministry.
Let us look at how His Excellency came in, created a new ministry, relatively that ministry obviously must have it challenges, what has been some of the challenges you’ve face in this ministry?
Thank you so much, the challenges we are having are natural challenges because human needs are insatiable, our wants as humans are unlimited but the process to satisfy them is limited. These are the challenges we have been having, if you look at the state as a young developing state, fast developing, the Governor has a lot of things, and in the area of infrastructure, so the challenge we have been having is not that the governor has not been given us needed attention the governor has been doing his best and not much significant challenge, the challenges are insignificant because a lot of people have been empowered but the challenge we are having is those that have been empowered are unable to make use of it, and that’s why the ministry is coming up with an evaluation team, a monitoring team that will be going about, a lot of people that have been empowered in Ebonyi state since the inception of this government 5,000 close to 10,000 persons have been empowered with N3,000,000, N2,000,000, N1000,000.
I mean billions of naira has been spent in the area of skill empowerment, as I’m speaking with you a lot of persons has been to Enugu to acquire kills on Agribusiness skill development, acquiring skills in the areas of agriculture. The only problem we have are the youths, those that have been empowered, who have received, those who have these training, these skills to make judicious use of this opportunity. This is the only challenge we are having.
You know, its one thing to empower someone and another thing for the person to make use of it. There are opportunities but the people are not making judicious use of it. The governor has been so liberal since he took over office, he is a generous man, a kind hearted governor. He has used billions of naira to train Nde Ebonyi.
This year alone we have had a lot of trainings but the problem we are having is the people that have been empowered where are they?
Do they know the value of the empowerment? Do they know the meaning of skills? Most us go about looking for white collar jobs, if we depend on maybe government giving us jobs we can’t do well. There’s no how we can do better, so skill is the back bone if you acquire it you can be on your own. It is self-sustaining. That’s the challenge we are having, one making judicious use of these opportunities. Thank you so much.
In that area, it means your ministry is doing enough to pull Ebonyi youths out of the streets?
Yes, we have done enough to pull our people out of the streets, like last time over 500 persons were pulled out from Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt even here in Abakaliki, till today the governor is not tired that at the end of this month we will still do another training program, another skill training program on electrical installation and maintenance. We do not just train them but will encourage them with start-up kits and will empower them at the same time in that regard, courtesy the good administration of his excellency and his relationship with federal government, because he’s in collaboration with the federal government agency National Agency For Science Engineering and Infrastructure (NASENI). So we are not tired, the present government is not tired of empowering the youths of Ebonyi State. We are not tired in giving youths the needed skills, the only thing we are advising the youths is to be available and receive it, make use of it. We are tired of going to Aba.
I tell people, soonest we will have it like a trade fair, where artisans will come, I call it show me your skill, that’s an upcoming program which will be inconsonant with the renewed hope Agenda of the president Federal Republic of Nigeria introducing skills to schools. That’s why I tell people the renewed hope agenda and the peoples’ charter of need are husband and wife, building up Ebonyi state and the nation entirely. So, a lot is happening in Ebonyi, we have done enough to make sure our people Nde Ebenyi are off the streets. His Excellency Governor Francis Ogbomnnaya Nwaifuru is not relenting in his effort, every day he’s on one program or the other navigating through what is good for Ebonyi state and her people.
You mention how the government has rolled out drums, pulling Ebonyi youths off the street, it all starts and ends on your table now tell us as Onye Edda, how do I come into it?
General laughter…As an Onye Edda the road is clear for you. This is not a biased government. cuts in…
There’s saying that “Onye nna ya no ali-eze adighi ala oku ali manwu” continued laughter. So tell us is there any preferential treatment for us Nde Edda or any other way you have reached our people especially because our son is at the helm of affairs?
Of a truth I know that our people are benefiting accordingly and understanding your quote too well, yes it’s a normal thing. For instance, I know the governor of a truth his people will benefit more, likewise myself it’s expected that my people would come second. I know my governor is doing well, I know he will give me that privilege. It’s not my right but a privilege. And I know my people have never been denied of any opportunity due to them, that’s why we are here to protect the interest of our people. So it’s undeniable, your own is there for you. ..general laughter!
Thank You, in July 2023 your ministry rolled out a program and at the event you said and I quote “You will establish skill development centres across the state” and this is more than a year, how far have you gone in fulfilling that promise?
Thank you, that plan has not been jeopardized…
cuts in.. Has any taken off?
Currently the state has a vocational centre located at the centenary city where training is ongoing and it is equipped enough, with the capacity to cater for the state. You know our people have an adage in Igbo that says “Ura towa uto ekwowe ya ekwo”. In other words it’s a gradual process, last I met with his Excellency basically on this and he assured me on the original plan. So his Excellency still has the plan of extending these skill development centres across the three senatorial zones even in all the thirteen local government areas of the state. He still has the plan.
You know why this question is very important?
In that meeting you said also that you will be liaising with the state’s liaison offices in Abuja and Lagos, and as well collaborate with the town union leadership of the 13 Local Governments in those states, that’s the reason people would want to know how far the project has gone.
You know, the town union and leaders at the community level are helpful especially in the area of communication. In our projects they have been very useful. It is scripturally stated that the God we serve neither sleeps nor slumber and our people will say “Ona Bu Ututu”. More are still coming that’s what I mean, none of our agenda will be left on accomplished. Every of our plan is gradually taken it shape accordingly, and I believe at the end of this administration the expectations of our people will not be taken for granted, thank you so much.
Honourable commissioner sir, we are being intentional about this, our people (Nde Edda) will be happy to be part of everything that the state government is rolling out especially where we have our son administratively in charge and we asking that from now that the opportunity will be made available to us even before others. ….generall alughter
In June 2024 you flagged off a three months program for the youths, how receptive was it?
Yes, it cuts across the 13 local governments. Sincerely, I am very happy by your remarks, what that means is that you people are taking cognisance of what is happening in the state. And it makes me very happy and very happy and proud of my governor. I’m highly privileged and I thank God for being part of this program. You see, what we did was not only giving them skills and equipment,
…cuts in! You made a statement during the program and I quote “It’s a deliberate commitment designed to empower our youths and ensure that they are equipped to cease opportunities of the future”.
Thank you so much for that, everything was done as stated, we gave out sewing machines, those who were into catering received equipment including gas cylinders, Ovens, cooking stove and many other things. I wouldn’t forget who learnt barbing, they were giving power generating sets and clippers. It was a live program, it wasn’t a radio or television program. It was a program physically carried out, people saw it and were happy, and it’s verifiable. If you go round the 13 local governments, we have the compiled names of the beneficiaries, you can trace them.
This question is coming this way because there was a similar skill empowerment that was carried out by the immediate past administration. About 400 Ebonyi youths in two sets at barge of 200 per set were sent to Nassarawa state to learn mechanised farming/ Agriculture. We handle the media coverage and documentation for the last set but unfortunately a lot of them either went back to whatever they were doing before that time or frustrated as the government did nothing compared to it promises during their graduation.
The public would want to know if this particular program wouldn’t end same way, even when we heard and saw another set sponsored by the state government just about two weeks ago, we hope this people wouldn’t be abandoned same way?
Let me shock you, I already told you that the major challenge we have comes from these recipients and not the state government. It is not getting this skill that matters it is practicing what they have learnt, and in this regard His Excellency has promised to continue to empower anyone whom he notices doing well from any of these programs. I informed you earlier that our evaluation team is busy as we speak are taking data of everyone who has been part of these programs.
Like the one we did during the August meeting, the one you quoted me, anchored by her Excellency Mary Margdalene Nwifuru, the 13 Local Governments areas were represented and they have the mandate of the State government to evaluate this people, as I speak to you her Excellency authoritatively, let me use that word because she didn’t want them to be seen roaming about like you said at the end.
So, she authoritatively advised that these people must not leave where they are until it’s confirmed that they have truly acquired the required skills. And that’s why that very team from the grass root, at the council level has been charged to monitor and evaluate them even giving them logistics, we made payment covering annual duration of their monitoring.
You made mention of 3 months
Yes! That three months was just for us to give them that start up kits, it’s not a three months program rather it’s a year’s programme until they have fully acquired skills. As we speak I can give you instances where you can get people who are currently receiving that training, the training has not ended.
According to your words can you tell us some of these places the trainings are going on?
You know they are in their various Local Governments, if you go to Owutu you will see girls that are there undergoing different types of trainings, it’s just that I cannot be telling you their names off hand. Even here in Abakaliki, the programs are going on.
In that case, it implies that this government is more proactive than the former, haven heard the amount of money released so far for these trainings?
Enough money!
So far, we are glad to have you on sir, we encourage you to continue doing what you’re doing and we are very proud of you as an Edda youth.
Thank you very much, Kaa!
