Ochima Foundation to curb insecurity through Youth Poverty Alleviation training

Abiodun OBA

Ochima Foundation, in partnership with Barr. Sam Otoboeze, trained youths as part of measures to curb insecurity in Nigeria.

President of Barr. Sam Otoboeze Foundation (BSOF), Sam Otoboeze, said the foundation organised the training because youth and women empowerment is imperative for enhanced security in society.

Otoboeze said to achieve this, Ochima Foundation and BSOF committed to remain intentional and focused on empowerment through skills training, advocacy, sensitization and community–based entrepreneurship intervention programmes.

“When young people don’t see or have a sustainable economic path, our families also suffer. In fact, the future of cities is intrinsically tied to the economic success of young people.

“The training was put together by Ochima Foundation and BSOF as a tool to reduce crimes and insecurity through enlightenment and promotion of self-employment opportunities for youths.

“Complicated and aggravated security challenges in Nigeria are no longer news, the tendency for it to get worse in the years ahead cannot be contested, given certain obvious realities on the ground.

“On the other hand, the rate of growth of formal employment opportunities has remained arithmetical over the years.’’

Otoboeze, therefore, said that the training would sensitise youths on various security issues capable of burying their dreams, skills training, alternatives to create self-employment opportunities.

He said that they would be supported to raise some seed grants of N200,000 each for at least 10 participants as start-ups to argument funding for the business.

Chairman of the occasion, Charles Ohodo, in his remark, said the training, in Abuja, was to promote security by engaging youths.

He said it is time to build Nigeria and shun those agitating for the separation of the nation as the solution is not in separation because even if they are separated the challenges would still be there.

Ohodo said that the solution to the challenges in Nigeria is in finding ways to better the nation and tackle the root causes.

According to him, “God blessed Nigeria with its diversity so we have to look for ways to create opportunities for everyone to thrive.

“That is why programmes like these are used to address the issue of insecurity.

“This is because it is either you begin to look for preventive measures or allow the crisis to escalate then start peacebuilding.

“We are used to spending a lot of resources to build peace whereas preventing crisis is better, so it makes sense to begin to tackle the root cause of the crisis in Nigeria and the fundamental thing is to target youths.

“This is by bringing opportunities to them, carry them along and commit to their needs, especially through a national youth policy to engage them, this can end security crisis .’’

The Special Assistant to the President, Strategic Communications, Dr Oge Funlola-Modie, advised youths to seize every opportunity to learn and build to take charge and employ other people because their time was now.

Funlola-Modie said that Nigeria has a large youth population so as much as possible people should help them to stand by supporting them in any way they could.

Prof. Dennis Tyavyar, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant for 2023, called for a change in the education curriculum to one that would empower graduates with skills.

Tyavyar said that this would make them self-employed and become job creators and help their families and the communities at large.

He commended the foundations for the initiative, adding that it was worth emulating in order to empower youths to steer clear of social vices.

A participant, Ms Helen Onyeforo, thanked the organisers for the training, adding that she had learnt a lot about poverty alleviation and insecurity.

Onyeforo said she learnt that when the youths of a nation don’t have things doing or jobs, obviously they will take on other things that could cause insecurity.

“With this training, the participants will do so much more not just to help ourselves, but our families and the nation at large.’’

The theme of the training was “Poverty Alleviation to Curb Insecurity in Nigeria’’.