PIND tackles poverty, conflict in Niger Delta

Worried by rising rate of poverty and conflict in the Niger Delta region, a foundation, Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta, (PIND), in collaboration with Unboxed Conferences, is training and empowering 6, 000 youths in the region this year.

The organisations noted that Nigerian youths lacked opportunities, finance and good economic opportunities to thrive; hence the need to mentor them to create alternative pathways that would keep them away from poverty and hunger.

The disclosure comes after about 31 people lost their lives in Port Harcourt on Saturday while rushing to obtain free food from a new generation church.

The Managing Director of PIND Foundation, Mr. Tunji Idowu, while speaking in Port Harcourt at the weekend during a mentoring session of 320 young professionals, expressed confidence that the initiative would reduce poverty and conflict in the region.

He explained that the foundation had earlier trained and empowered 4,000 youths in Abia and Akwa Ibom states and was scaling up the number with additional 1,000 in Rivers and other states in the region.

Mr. Idowu said, “The event was organized by Unboxed Conferences to give young people the opportunity of being mentored by seasoned professionals, some of these (young) people would never have access to the organisers on their terms, so YP (Young Professionals) makes it possible to create a platform where some of us mentors volunteer our time to come in and give back and have the young ones navigate their way.

“In the pilot that we did in Abia, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom, we already trained over 4,300 youths, we are scaling that up with an additional 1000 because the essence of the pilot is to understand what works and what you can improve or what you do away with, it’s been a successful pilot, we’re now scaling it up again with another 1000 in those three states, while in Delta, we are taking on over 600.

“So what I’m saying is, when you count from the three years from 2018 going forward, the additional 1600, you will have about 6000 that have been trained, placed, supported to start businesses, not all of them because they have different pathways, some with work, some will be job owners, some will be business starters.”

Idowu urged the youths not to sell their integrity in the course of the various endeavours, especially as the country is entering an electioneering period when new leaders would be elected into public offices.

“The Nigerian youths should not sell their integrity, but every human being that wants to maintain their dignity needs to uphold their integrity. But to the Nigerian youths is to say hey! Those of us ahead of you have messed things up, and don’t follow their example of going the path of lack of integrity.

“Elections are coming, don’t become tools that are going to be used to worsen an already bad situation, make sure that you have criteria for due diligence, even if people come and share money, find a way in which you are doing things according to values.

“It’s by organising that you can stand, one lone person might be crushed by the terrible powers that be, but if we organise and we have more young people than the older ones that are perpetrating these bad things. It’s about organising and teeming up together so that we can take charge of things, maybe one community, one local government at a time.”

On his part, the Chief Responsibility Officer for Unboxed Conferences, Wale Adenuga, who expressed excitement over the turnout of the participants and mentors from different works of life, noted that his conviction to helping the youths succeed informed the programme.

“We are happy in terms of the turnout, all the mentors are here, the young people are also here and we think it’s going to be a great learning experience, especially between the mentors and the mentees, they (mentors) have learnt a whole lot of things over their lives, so this opportunity, connecting is an amazing experience for everyone.

“I think for me it’s my own story, probably how I failed in the past, I believe in practical knowledge, I believe in being held by the hand and been shown the way and that’s exactly what this is all about and I will keep doing that until my dying day.”