It was a moment of joy and jubilation for families and friends of 200 young men and women who benefitted from Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s free empowerment programme which has taken thousands of Kano youths to Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN) training school in Kaduna where they acquired different skills on automobile repairs and servicing. They all gathered at the Open Theartre, Kano Government House on Thursday where they celebrated their graduation and the beginning of a new economic chapter in their life endeavours.
The programme is in line with Ganduje’s determination to fulfil his promise of human development through youth empowerment in Kano state.
Ganduje who has empowered over 1.5 million youths in different skills since the inception of his administration, said his administration spent N420 Million for the training.
He also provided another N80 million for the purchase of tools for the 200 youths trained on repairs and maintenance of vehicles and tricycles, whose graduation ceremony was celebrated at the Open Theatre, Government House.
According to him, the beneficiaries who were drawn from different tribes of the country received N60,000 each as take-off grant to start up their business. This is in his resolve to continue to curb unemployment and restiveness among youths in the state.
247ureports.com reports that at the inception of Ganduje’s second tenure, 60 youths trained on repairs and maintenance of heavy duty vehicles were also empowered with N30 million take-off cash, including equipment worth millions of Naira.
Moreso, one of the 10 auto-service centres located along BUK Road, built by his administration for the youths who graduated from PAN, Kaduna, under the sponsorship of Kano state Government has been commissioned.
Ganduje reiterated his administration’s resolve to continue to engage in massive youth empowerment programmes in his second-tenure so as to reduce poverty, youth restiveness and unemployment.
He also recalled that during his first tenure, about one million youths were empowered in different skills and trades, while many others were awarded scholarship to study in higher institutions both at home and abroad, adding that in his Next Level administration, more of such gestures should be expected.
Ganduje noted that, the auto-service centres otherwise known as MATASA MADOGARA are established across the three senatorial zones in the state, adding that while Kano Central has four centres, Kano South and Kano North have three centres each where youths trained by PAN are repairing auto-mobiles with modern equipment, including men and women.
He said the youths were not making any returns to the state government, pointing out that they were trained and empowered so that they can empower as many youths as ;possible, making themselves self-reliant as well as becoming useful to their families and the society.
However, some of the beneficiaries who spoke to 247ureports.com praised Ganduje for his determination to end poverty in Kano through meaning empowerment programmes that alleviate the sufferings of millions of families across the ancient commercial cum agrarian state.
