Federal Ministry of Agricultural and Food Security and National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Ibadan, yesterday, graduated over 30 trainees, with six outstanding students, who had undergone a nine-month course under the Horticultural Academy for Youths (HAY). The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s initiative to address unemployment, poverty and the problem of mis-match skills among Nigeria youths.

Chief Executive Officer of NIHORT, Dr. Muhammed Atanda, said the programme was scheduled to train millions of youths across the six-geopolitical zones to make them self-sufficient.

Meanwhile, Coordinator of training, Dr. Olutola Oyedele, noted that the government, through NIHORT, had provided all necessary tools for the graduates including farm lands to enable them to contribute to food production and development of Small Scale Entrepreneurs (SME) in Nigeria.

Oyo State government, represented by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, promised to do everything within its powers to ensure the success of the HAY programme in the state, saying, since it is going to help reduce poverty, unemployment and youth restiveness.

A director in the ministry, Majeedat Olanrewaju, who represented the state’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry, said Governor Seyi Makinde is interested in the programme and therefore willing to do everything to ensure its success in the state.

She also said modern farming is the way to go considering how the world’s economy is moving.

Representing the Director General of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Oyo State director, Mrs Olayinka Ogundipe, said: “It would definitely correct the challenges of mis-match of skills among Nigerian youths.”

The Deputy Director, Human Resources, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. A Akanbi, said that with HAY, there could be no more room for poverty in Nigeria. He also disclosed that NOA had concluded arrangements to include HAY in its activities.