Anambra’s Youths Skills’ Transfer Prog, Soludo’s Innovative Game Changer, Says Agha Mba
By Chuka Nnabuife
ANAMBRA State’s Commissioner for Youth Development, Patrick Agha Mba has placed ‘One Youth Two Skills Solution’ (1Y2SS) program at the heart of the governance and developmental ideology of Gov. Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s Solution Government.
He said this as his ministry and the Anambra State chapter of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) held mop-up training session for master trainers in the ongoing second phase of the 1Y2SS today (Friday, August 2) in Awka, capital of Anambra State.
Establishing how the youths-oriented skills’ transferring exercise and empowerment project of the state is fit and apt for the Solution era in Anambra, Agha Mba described it as “a game changer and radical interpretation of Prof. Soludo’s governance ideas. He dubbed it an evidence of innovative governance and transformation of the lives of people, especially, Anambra’s youths. Everything about 1Y2SS, the commissioner said, “is developmental not political.”
He further explained how the program is built around Soludo’s five core agenda in governance, namely: Security; Law and Order; Economic Transformation; Values System Re-orientation; and Clean and Green Environments, 1Y2SS was evolved to make the youth of the state reap of the new paradigm.
Gov. Soludo’s Solution agenda mainly emphasises ‘Security’ through tackling insecurity with carrots and sticks approach.
It projects ‘Law and Order’ with emphasis on restoring law and order in society through addressing such phenomenal challenges of the state as menacing erosion, and promoting a clean environment.
The ‘Economic Transformation Transform’ mission of Anambra craves to turn the state into an industrial, technology, and leisure hub while through ‘Value System Reorientation’, the goal is evolving a new value system that promotes made-in-Anambra products in all the 179 communities of the state.
In the state’s push for a ‘Clean and Green Environment’, promotion of environmental sustainability, control of erosion, and adoption of regenerative agriculture are major planks.
Mr. Agha Mba disclosed that 1Y2SS encompasses all those aspirations of the state, and seeks to make them rub off successfully on Anambra State’s youths.
Enlightening the newly engaged master trainers of the program, he emphasised the need for them to know “where we are coming from and where we are going… because if you don’t that our goal is to build rich human capital among Ndi Anambra, Youth, you will not achieve the ultimate” goal of being a master trainer.
He emphasised that in accordance with the ideology of the Solution Government, “the quality of a people determines the quality of the society… which is why this government places high premium on education — free qualitative education — productive skills, productivity and entrepreneurship as captured in 1Y2SS.”
He added that a major part of the program’s mission is to “reshape our youths to be productive, impactful and innovative and that is why I emphasise that One Youth Two Skills is a developmental program.”
He gave a deeper perspective of the ideology behind the 1Y2SS. According to him, the scheme draws heavily from the ‘Igba Boyi’ (trading apprenticeship) system of transferring business and trade skills which the Igbo people have used successfully, to make their wealth and knowledge pass from generation to generation successfully, over the ages.
Explaining the unique ‘Igba Boyi’ ideology and orientation system in Igbo markets that has become a phenomenon that many businesses schools around the world from Oxford to Harvard universities and others now study. “We have adopted the Igbo ideology of ‘Igba Boyi’. It is the same ‘Igba Boyi’ that produced many millionaires and billionaires in Igbo land, and still produces many more.
Our drive is to make our youths entrepreneurial… When the government promised to make many of our youths millionaires, this is one of the ways to achieve it,” Agha Mba said.
While adding that 1Y2SS also helps increase the general employment of the state, takes the youth out of crime through positive engagement he also observed the program’s niche in re-establishing a productivity and dignity of labour in the value system of ndi Anambra.
Moreso, 1Y2SS will potentially, improve security, boost economic growth, ensue industrialisation and raise the level of technology in Anambra.
The mop-up training session held at the Ministry of Youth Development’s headquarters behind Governor’s Office, Awka was organised for master trainers from Anambra communities, that were not able to attend during the earlier re-orientation and certification exercises organised by the Youth Ministry and NASME in July at the IDK Centre, Awka. Over 40 master trainers participated in the mop-up training in which Agha Mba and Chairman of Anambra State chapter of NASME, Mr. Chinemerem Oguegbe as well as a special assistant to Anambra State Governor on Youth Development,
Tony Omatah made presentations.
