Vocational Training: Esan Central Local Govt Council Backs Skills Acquisition For Youths

by Idahosa Musa

The Esan Central Local Government Council of Edo State has backed a vocational training initiative aimed at equipping youths with practical skills for employment, entrepreneurship and economic self-reliance.

The Executive Chairman of the council, Hon. Prince Abdullahi Momodu, gave the support while pledging the council’s collaboration with the organisers of the programme, which is designed to expand legitimate economic opportunities for young people across Esan land, yesterday

The initiative, organised by the Centre for Moral Value and Justice in collaboration with the Edo State Ministry for Public Safety and Security, is expected to provide vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities to youths across the five local government areas in the area.

The programme is being convened by Comrade Inegbenehi Sylvester, with Hon. Chris Okojie as co-convener, and is scheduled to be officially flagged off on October 6, 2026, at the Esan West Local Government Secretariat.

Following the flag-off, the training will be decentralised to Esan West, Esan South-East, Esan North-East, Esan Central and Igueben local government areas to enable more youths to participate in the skills acquisition programme.

The training will be facilitated by the Nigerian Association of Engineering Craftsmen, an organisation affiliated with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), with participants expected to receive practical knowledge relevant to various areas of vocational enterprise.

Speaking on the initiative, Momodu said his administration would work with the organisers to ensure that a significant number of youths from Esan Central benefited from the programme.

He said the council would mobilise and facilitate broad participation from the local government, stressing that vocational education could provide young people with practical skills needed to secure employment and establish sustainable businesses.

According to him, creating opportunities for youths to become economically productive would also enable them to contribute more meaningfully to the local economy and improve their standard of living.

Momodu said the initiative was particularly important at a time when many young people were seeking alternative pathways to employment and self-reliance, adding that skills development could help bridge the gap between formal education and the demands of the labour market.

He said the council would support efforts aimed at ensuring that the training translated into practical economic opportunities for beneficiaries, rather than ending with the acquisition of certificates.

“Empowering our youths with practical skills is critical to making them economically productive and reducing their vulnerability to criminal activities,” Momodu said.

He urged youths in Esan Central and other participating local government areas to take advantage of the programme, describing skills acquisition and entrepreneurship as important pathways to economic independence and community development.