Enugu State Government has commenced “A-Three week training on Information Communication Technology (ICT)
for the state’s civil servants.
Declaring the training open, the State Head of Service, Mr. Ken Chukwuegbo, said that the essence of the exercise was to enhance the intellectual ability of the civil servants to meet up with the demands of modern administrative engagements and to get a civil service knowledge-based society.
He said that “training is utmost”, stressing that “for any government to be successful, it requires the inputs of civil servants”.
Chukwuegbo commended Governor Ugwuanyi for being in the vanguard of changing the face of the civil servants in the state through innovations, reforms and commitment to their welfare.
He advised the trainees to show utmost interest in the programme by paying attention to what they would be taught, “knowing full well that when you acquire new knowledge, you acquire new skills; not just for the government but for self development, so that you can cope with the challenges that are associated with your duties”.
Speaking , the Permanent Secretary, State Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mrs. Chinwe Anibeze, who represented the Chairman of the ICT training committee, expressed delight at the training exercise for the civil servants and assured that it will bring positive development to the state.
In his remark, the Resource Person and Director, Information Technology, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Dr Lois Ifeanyi-Nwobodo, said that the training will make the civil servants in Enugu State to be ICT compliant.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Africa Heritage Institution, (AfriHeritage), Professor Ufo Okeke-Uzodike, has identified good youth education, social and political stability, youth entrepreneurship, good governance, eradication of poverty and reduction of crime as key factors to youth development.
He made this known on Tuesday at a press briefing proceeding the” Big ideas Podium “, a programme of the African Heritage institution where think tanks brainstorm on issues affecting the society for possible policy formulation.
The Executive Director said that the event will take place on December 1 at the AfriHeritage , Enugu.
The Theme of the event is #EndSARS protest: “Rethinking Nigerian youth and government policies .”
Okeke-Uzodike described youths as “One of the greatest assets any nation can have. They are often the drivers and harbingers for transformative social change in well organised societies and the bellwether for ineffective policies when the leaders mangle the plot.
“”The youth are legitimately regarded not only as future leaders but also as bulwark for a country whose growth and prosperity is inextricably connected to youth developmhent Therefore, it is safe to say that a country with no youth would have no future.
“According to the National Youth Policy (2019), an average Nigerian youth is aged between 18-29 years – an age range that often requires a profound quest for skills certifications, professional development and the need to achieve economic and social stability ”
He noted that the youth need to grow and operate in an environment that not only shields them from abuse, violence and discrimination, but also allows them to enjoy fundamental human rights for them to develop optimally.
The Executive Director lamented that the situation is not so in Nigeria “where the youth are often seen not as owners of desirable skill sets and beacons of development, but as threats not only to individual and community safety and order, but also to national integration, peace and prosperity. ”
Okeke-Uzodike noted that bad governance frustrated some youth and they travelled outside the country for greener
pasture, sometimes to crime.
He wondered if Nigerian youth could do well without government support, won’t they do better with government support?
The Executive Director said that the big ideas podium on “#EndSARS protest: “Rethinking Nigerian youth and government policies , ” will provide a platform for positive engagement and deliberations on those thoughts and more. ”
