Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang’s determination to ensure sustainable peace on the Plateau and a revolutionized robust economy is to be anchored on the dynamic mechanism of reduction of youth restiveness to the barest minimum through massive youth empowerment and skills acquisition. Hon Joshua Hitler Pwajok, Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth Mobilization and Empowerment stated this on Friday, March, 22nd 2024 when he featured as a guest on the 3rd Interactive Session of Pointblank News Blog
Youth restiveness has severally been shown to have intimately interwoven connection between employment and peace, revealing unemployment as a primary motivator encouraging youth towards anti-social behaviours and conflicts because gainful employment do not only confers economic benefits but also provides a sense of direction, purpose and dignity, essential ingredients in developing an individual’s identity and ensuring.
Governor Mutfwang according to Pwajok is committed to ensuring that the current peace being enjoyed in the state is sustained and youth, being the active constituency for both positive and negative vices depending on how their energies are harnessed shall be massively empowered through industrialization and skills acquisition programs to be bankrolled soon.
Pwajok enjoined Plateau youth to take advantage of Governor Mutfwang’s laudable initiative for the youth and fill the biodata form already online. Underscoring the importance of data collection for effective planning, Pwajok said “Government need data because data is the basic thing you need for the actualization of an impactful and meaningful empowerment program. This was why we developed a biodata that is currently available to be filled by Plateau Youth. This data will help in the classification and categorization of specific empowerment intervention needs that government will work on”.
“Unemployment which is the main cause of youth restiveness is stirring at us in the face. However, Government is deliberately making attempts to ensure a paradigm shift from the normal cultural civil service mentality on the Plateau to the Industrialization of key areas where Skill Acquisitions will become paramount”.
“We wish to implement and sustain these programs that will raise future entrepreneurs and business moguls on the Plateau that will make business more attractive to the youth as against the mentality of schooling and waiting for civil service jobs. This is captured in the pillar policy and this milestone will be achieved within the first three years of His Excellency’s administration”
Hon Pwajok gave Governor Mutfwang a pass mark for trusting youth with key positions to drive home the TIME IS NOW Mantra of his administration. “Governor Mutfwang deserves a pass mark for deliberately bringing in new sets of young people who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers to man strategic government agencies. This is historic and record breaking especially if you rank him side by side with his predecessors. It is a break away from the norm of having older people as the forbearers of governance on the Plateau”
He said the governor is willing to give more youth the opportunity to serve and called on those already appointed to justify the confidence reposed in them to pave way for more youth involvement in the government. “The governor is willing to involve more youth into governance depending on the performance index of those already appointed. His Excellency totally understands that the world is evolving and young people are not willing to take the backstage and back seat again because the youth understand their role as the engine room of government whose brilliant initiatives are adopted by the older people. The youth now want to be integral decision makers in leadership and governance and every sensitive leader must understand that the youths are not willing to be treated as second fiddles”
“We are working on a three pillar policy for the youth on the plateau. Skills acquisition – for those who wish to acquire new skills because MDAs cannot be enough to absorb everyone”.
“His Excellency shall be selecting youth across the state to send them abroad to improve their skills, to learn modern ways of applying their already acquired skills. It will be a train the trainee abroad. Those sent abroad will come back and train those at home. This is deliberate to cut down cost and expenses. The skills Acquisition Centres will serve two purposes, namely; Centre for continuous training and Service centre to generate funds from the wider society”.
“Scholarship and ICT – It is Governor’s Mutfwang wish to send professionals abroad to upgrade their knowledge through refresher courses. Fields of medicine, engineering, aviation and ICT are crucial in this second pillar policy. Wawe program to take off second quarter of this year”
“Rehabilitation: Construction of rehab centres in the three zones through partnership to rehabilitate our youth who unfortunately have become victims of substances. We also intend to resuscitate, revamp and remodel the 17 youth centres across the State to serve as centres for training, e library and mentorship centres with gallery and show room for famous leaders that will motivate the youth to fit particularly into the Plateau situation”.
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