17 ex-militants graduate from Lagos Energy Academy

The Niger Delta Amnesty Programme under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration demonstrated its practical commitment to peace and progress in the Niger Delta region recently as it graduates 17 former militants in Power and energy from the Lagos Energy Academy.

The beneficiaries have now been sufficiently equipped with skills which prepare them to pursue careers in the engineering and technical sections of the Nigerian power sector.Speaking during the event, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the facilitating training vendor, Fortera Nigeria Limited, Charles Ovie, said the programme succeeded largely due to the support and commitment of the Buhari administration through the devotion of Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen. Paul T. Boroh (rtd), who ensured that the graduating set acquired the required skills that Nigeria and particularly the Niger Delta needed to ensure its sustainable development.

He noted that though Japan and Switzerland had very few natural resources, both were among the richest countries in the world, because of their highly skilled citizens, who have helped to convert the resources of other countries to the wealth of their own countries.

He stressed that without empowering Nigerians with skills, the country’s huge population becomes a burden instead of an asset.“This is especially so for the Niger-Delta region, which has a large population of youths who are willing to learn new skills but have not been presented with such opportunities as the Amnesty Programme has kindly offered these delegates,” Ovie said.

The Fontera CEO observed that the training component is very unique among all the efforts of the Amnesty Programme because it helps to solve many problems with one project technique; capacity enhancement and empowerment.

He described the skills the Energy Academy graduates have acquired as worthy of celebration, because it makes it possible for them to become not only employable, but also in time employers of labour in their own right.