A NEW way of addressing criminalities resulting from youth idleness and joblessness and boosting youths empowerment to enable them become profitably and legitimately engaged is now in operation in Abia State. It is called Abia Youth Empowerment Scheme with the acronym “A-YES”.

The scheme, which was formally launched last week with fanfare at Umuahia Stadium, featured the presentation of many money generating items to the youths such as buses, cars, tricycles, hairdressing/barbing tools, computers and sewing machines among others. With this, the youths are expected to engage in commercial and revenue generating activities.

It is the expectation of the government that this gesture will not only propel the beneficiaries to become self- employers and self-reliant but that not long after, they should become employers of labour thereby helping to reduce criminalities and unemployment.

Before the state launching, there was already in operation a similar project that started in 2012 by a non- governmental organisation called Ochendo Youth Foundation (OYF), which has the state governor’s son Ikuku Chinedu Orji, an engineer business man, as founder and facilitator.

Similarly, the First Lady, Mercy Odochi Orji was also extending similar gestures to widows and youths through the state’s skills acquisition centre and her personal NGO called Hannay May Foundation.

The Foundation has built, equipped and donated houses to six widows across the state as well as assists indigent and disabled persons. Last week, a family whose house was destroyed in Umuahia South LGA during a communal clash, had the house rebuilt and equipped by the Foundation.

The Ochendo Youth Foundation while empowering youths across the state with buses, tricycles etc stated that the gesture was not empowerment but a reward to the beneficiaries for not engaging or disengaging in criminalities and supporting the government.

At the launch of A-YES, which was preceded by a public lecture delivered by the Central Bank Governor Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the state governor Dr. Theodore Orji said: “Conscious of the positive and negative roles the youths can play in a society like ours, we decided to support the positive role by empowering them through this project started in 2012 in Aba South LGA, then to Ohafia LGA and Osisioma LGA.

“This time around, it is the turn of Umuahia North LGA where we have also added the annual Ochendo Youth Empowerment Lecture, which maiden edition was had the topic, “Youth Empowerment as a Panacea to Insecurity in Nigeria” and was delivered by the CBN Governor Mallam Sanusi as a prelude to the distribution of the empowerment items.”

At the ceremony, the governor distributed 200 vehicles to the youths to be used for commercial transportation and as township Yellow Cabs. They were added to the previous 50 other Vehicles and 700 Tricycles, hairdressing equipment, sewing machines and laptops that had been given out earlier.

Governor Orji said the move was informed by the youths’ support to government in fighting kidnapping, which has made Abia one of the safest states as well as their unparalleled support in the rebuilding of the state and the pursuit of the new face of the state that has empowered his legacy projects and increased his resolve to make a difference in the people’s lives.

“That is why the concept of youth empowerment through enlightenment and the provision of resources that support the good living of our youths have come to take special spaces in our development agenda”.

He listed these as disbursement of one billion naira CBN agricultural loan to farmers with focus on youth-farmers, commencement of the development of Liberation farms in the 17 LGAs of the state, privatisation of the state Rubber and Palm plantations at Ozu Abam and Ohambele which already employed 1,500 youths including development of Cocoa farms and Cassava cultivation, which are giving the youths ample opportunities.

According to him, by focusing development agenda on the youths, government aims at achieving a sustainable economy, the security and the preservation of a stable environment for the development of commerce, trading and agriculture, which form the tripod that drives and supports the Abia economy.