Emmanuel Awari – Jalingo
Youths in Zing local government area, Taraba State have been enjoined to acquired relevant entrepreneurial skills capable of transforming them from job seekers to employers of labour.
According to resource persons who spoke at the annual Pius Community Development Service Initiative Programme, such option is needed to stop the endless wait for white collar from the government.
In his key not address entitled “Using Agriculture For Industrialization of Zinc Local Government” the Chief Executive Officer of Taraba Business School, Mr Gabriel Olayinka revealed that the area is endowed with abundant natural resources which can be explored and harnessed for socio economic development.
In his words” It is shocking that even though we have the best species of yam globally, we can not boost of a yam processing factory to harness this potential for optimum commercial benefits”
“Yam is in high at both local and global markets, we can package our yams for exports and generate revenue to banish poverty from our shores. We can’t continue to languish in poverty when we are richly blessed by nature with arable land. Let’s go beyond yam farming into yam processing to maximize the benefits”
Speaking, the National Chairman, Mumuye Youths Cultural Association, Mr Ezekiel Augustine lamented that Zing Local Government has over twenty thousand out of school children and sued for concerted from stakeholders to address the disturbing challenge.
He urged prominent indigenes of the area to replicate the gesture of the programme’s initiator by floating similar forum to orientate the youths towards self reliance and meaningful contributions to the upliftment of the area.
In his remarks, the royal father ,Kpanti Mboli, Moses Yaruta expressed appreciation to the organisers noting that the event will usher in huge benefits to the community
On his part , the founder of the annual symposia, Barrister PD Pius said the programme was conceived as a personal initiative aimed at galvanizing youths of the area towards harnessing their human and natural potentials for optimum benefits