Residents of Karu Village in Abuja Municipal Area Council want FCT authorities to establish a vocational centre, to enable young people to acquire practical skills and become self-reliant.
Some of the residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the vocational centre would equip youths with marketable skills to become self-employed and earn wages.
A generator technician, Mr Bako Aliyu, appealed to the government to tackle unemployment by providing basic facilities and empowering youths with practical skills to gainfully apply such skills.
“I am not asking government to give me money; but they should avail us of opportunities to acquire skills and provide facilities to enable people to engage themselves profitably.
“Government should create training facilities that would allow our children acquire skills that can help them earn their livelihood.
“Government agencies should also patronize small-scale businesses, to enable them to earn some income to enjoy quality and meaningful lives.
“All I am asking government to do for me is to give me work (contract) to handle their generating sets.
“When we have work, we can earn the money to fend for our families and attend to other important needs.
Aliyu alleged that FCT authorities collect various levies from small business owners and fail to use the revenue being generated to develop the area.
“Government is collecting revenue from us. But instead of using the revenue collected to make our environment better, they are just killing us.
“They are just robbing us by imposing many levies without doing anything for the community.’’ Aliyu said.
Another resident, Princess Isiguzo, noted that a vocational centre would equip youths with productive skills and also enable them to channel their creative energies into productive ventures.
She also requested the government to provide take-off grants to graduates of the vocational centre, when established, to serve as a launching pad to self-reliance and employment generation.
“There are graduates roaming the area without money, without jobs, without opportunities; so, what we need most is for government to establish skill acquisition centres.
“Eventually, these youths would be able to earn money through their work to take care of themselves without looking for desperate means to make a living.
“Some of these youths would be able to generate employment opportunities to reduce the number of jobless people in this area, while criminality and anti-social activities would reduce,’’ she said.
Similarly, Mr Anyiakelechukwu Hilary urged the government to focus on the provision of stable power to enable youths to apply their practical skills into income generating vocations.
Hilary observed that government’s drive for industrialization would only succeed, if sufficient electricity supply was provided, to reduce the cost of running their businesses on generating sets.
“If there is light, many people who have acquired skills in welding, metal fabrications among others, would be able to put their skills into productive ventures to create wealth.
“But currently, many of them cannot apply their skills and trades because they cannot afford the money to purchase generating sets to start their small-scale businesses.
“If government can provide light for us, you will see that many young boys who are roaming the streets today, will find something doing.
“Light brings industrialization and we would be happy if this challenge is successfully addressed,’’ he said.
The residents urged the relevant agencies of the FCT and the Federal Government to give priority attention to the provision of adequate power supply, to enhance the growth of small-scale businesses.
