18082019 -Anxiety over " Next Level" Ministers

My friend’s story is gripping
Iran into an old friend
some times last week. He
is the type of friend you
only see, probably once in a
decade. I have known him
from way back in primary
school. We were best of friends
and sometimes, worst enemies.
We argued, fought and
laughed on basically everything.
I guess you will say, this
is what makes friendship
sweet.
As we grew older, we somewhat
drifted apart from each
other. This is understandable
because we both had to face
life’s challenges individually
as we chased our destinies and
over the years, we occasionally
run into each other. With the
little times we had together on
these “run-ins” we always try
to catch up on each other’s stories,
as much as we could. My
friend is one of the few from
my kindergarten days that I
still have strong connections
with.
Strangely, we bump into
each other in odd places. Before
last week’s unplanned
meeting, the last time we saw
was in 2007 at the Edinburgh
Airport, and before this, I saw
BOOK REVIEW
Skill Acquisition: A timehonoured
platform for
combating the menace
of general insecurity, pervasive
poverty, burgeoning unemployment
and destabilization
of the international system.
The Second Edition of the
Handbook of Skill Acquisition
Training and Empowerment
Programmes was published
barely a year after the
publication of the 826-page
First Edition on 13th April,
2017. The Second Edition
was mooted due to the clamour
and general interest
shown by well-meaning
stakeholders as to the plight
of Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) and Refugees that
have come to be associated
with the insurgency in the
North East geopolitical zone
of Nigeria. This necessitated
the inclusion of a whole Chapter
(that is Chapter 11), titled
“Skill Acquisition Training
and Empowerment, Resettlement
of IDPs, Refugees, Indigenes
and Residents of Insurgency
Devastated Territories
and Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
of their Communities.”
Another key feature of the
Second Edition is the inclusion
of a Reader’s Guide; Key
Points to Note and; Revision
Questions at the end of each
him last in Lagos in 1999. It
was a chance meeting in front
of Juli Pharmacy at Ikeja.
With the advent of the Internet,
we did try keeping up with
each other via email messages
and the trusty “Yahoo messenger”.
But at a point, this
means of communication
dropped off the radar and became
obsolete. I guessed we
also both dropped off each
other’s radar. Yahoo Messenger
outlived its usefulness and
became an invention from the
last century.
You wonder why we do not
“meet” on social media. Well,
my friend seems to have a big
dislike for social media? I had
searched online many times
for him, with no luck. Neither
Facebook nor any of these
modern-day online community
is his thing. Although I later
found out that he is very
much active on Twitter. He
tried to justify this to me, without
much success, though.
You can, therefore, imagine
our excitement when we ran
into each other again at the
Leeds Train Station. Bless my
friend, he is a great talker.
Growing up, our friendship
chapter. It also covered the
Spiritual Dimensions of Skill
Acquisition.
Handbook of Skill Acquisition
Training and Empowerment
Programmes (2nd Ed.)
chronicles the author's well
over 26 years’ involvement in
the training and management
of Non-Militant, Restive
and Ex-Militant Youths and
Persons. The book elucidates
the following key elements of
Skill Acquisition Training and
Empowerment Programmes:
•A holistic Skill Acquisition
Training and Empowerment
Programme should comprise
of four components: Vocation
Specific Training; Soft and
Life Skill Training; Entrepreneurship
Development Training
and Post-Training Empowerment.
• As much as natural traits
or endowments can aid the
skills acquired through training,
some aspects of learning
and skill acquisition are dependent
on Psychological,
Psychomotor and Spiritual
strength of Trainees.
• Proper exposition of Intellectual
Capital that comprise
Human Capital, Structural
Capital and Relational Capital
are needed in skill acquisition
programmes.
•Starter Packs for Graduands
of Skill Acquisition Programmes
should be given to
them before they leave the
Training and should comprise
was always a means of
amusement as we were
classed opposite of each other.
My friend can talk a dead
man back to life. On the other
hand, I am the type that believes
in sitting back and see
events unfold. I do offer one
or two comments where necessary.
But I always admire
people who can talk without
any “restraint”, whether they
make sense or not. I guess I
hung out with my friend most
times in my early years just to
make up for my shortfall in
the “talking department.”
However, one thing I learnt
growing up is when you talk
too much, you are most likely
to say “things” out of context
and regret later. Sometimes,
you say inappropriate things
for the moment. My friend is
in this class. He had talked
himself into and out of many
troubles while growing up.
His mouth has always been
his greatest weapon as he
most times talks himself into
whatever position he thinks
will benefit him. He might be
a “bit” quiet with new people,
but with me, he lets down his
guard. He must tell me his
stories.
When we ran into each other,
as usual, he could not hold
back. He screamed and did a
100-metres dash in the opposite
direction, made a u-turn,
charged at me in full speed
and got me off my feet. By stature,
under normal circumstances,
I should not be easily
swept off my feet by my 5ft tall
friend. But he did. It was a
spectacle at the station as the
folks passing by thought we
were having an African wrestling
match (Ijakadi). If not for
the smiles on our faces, the policemen
on standby at the station
would have mistaken us
for terrorists about to detonate
bombs.
one thing I learnt
growing up is when
you talk too much,
you are most likely to
say “things” out of
context and regret
later. Sometimes, you
say inappropriate
things for the
moment
ter speaking at a Centre for
African Studies, University of
Leeds-sponsored programme.
I was at the station
to pick up train tickets for a
guest of mine. My friend had
mistaken his departure time
and came early to the station
only to be told he has another
fifty minutes to wait. And here
I am to fill the "time" for him.
I am available and as usual,
earful for my friend to keep
me updated on what he has
Golwa
of support and vocation specific
components. They should
also be trained on the use and
application of each component
of the Starter Pack
•Vocational and Technical
Education should be taught
alongside and within conventional
academic curricula so
that Graduates can be
equipped with Vocation Specific
Trades they can eke out a
living, after graduation.
•All Departments in acacational
potentials so that
they can be involved in Vocation
Specific Trades or MS-
MEs that can help them eke
out a living.
• Operationalization and
Reporting Templates are
needed for effective and successful
Training Programmes
(over 100 Templates are provided
in the book).
• Critical Success Entities
must consolidate their interventions
from Skill Acquisi-
SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 18, 2019, PAGE 33
My friend was in the Train
Station en route to London afbeen
up to in the past years.
“Let's get somewhere comfy
to sit and talk,” he said.
When I hear this, my heart
skipped a beat as I thought of
the impending parking
charge. I had left the car at
the Short Stay Park, but I was
sure this would turn into a
Long Stay Park. We headed to
the lobby of the nearby
Queens Hotel. “Bobo (he calls
me this, for no apparent reason)
you have shed a lot of
weight. The last time I saw
you; you were bigger than
this.”
“Yes. I know. It's no longer
fashionable to be fat. You are
not doing badly, you still retain
your stature at your age,"
I replied. “Bobo, I could not
have put on any weight at all.
I have been through a lot in
recent times. If I start the story,
I won't finish it till tomorrow.
But I thank God I am still
standing.”
We finally found a space at
the lobby, and it was in here
he unloaded all. He told me
how life has been very good
to him, had been moving
from one level to another in
his career, travel all over the
world on speaking assignments,
have properties in
some choice cities of the
world. I can see his pride. But
behind all these, I could also
see there was a hurt that he
was trying (albeit unprofessionally)
to hide.
“Good for you, my friend.
You are not doing badly,” I
said. By his look and story, I
knew he was not doing badly.
You know there are some people
you see and just conclude
they are doing fine in life.
Sometimes we judge by their
appearances, clothing, and all
the superfluous things. We often
forget that as human beings
we know how to cover up.
As a result, it is most times
possible for a man or woman
to be in real pain and disguise
without sharing this with
friends or family members.
My friend was not going to
cover up. No. I am not that
type of friend, he will cover up
for.
“Bobo, you know while
growing up, we always tease
each other on the type of wife
we will marry.”
“Please don't get to that
again. You know I sure remember,”
I answered him,
while I recollected how we
“dreamt” as kids.
He continued: “Bobo while
growing up I have always had
an idea of the type of woman
I wanted. I fantasised every
day about my type of woman.
Back in the days in the classroom,
while classes were going
on, I was always “weighing”
my female classmates
against the criteria I had
drawn up in my head for my
future wife. I had a clear picture
of the type of wife I wanted.”
“But you are married now,
so what are all these got to do
with the present,” I asked him.
He ignored me and continued.
“Bobo, growing up I wanted
a woman who can read and
write. I usually say to myself
in my those days that a Primary
School graduate will be
okay for me, as long as she
knows how to cook good
food.”
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT WEEK.
Skill Acquisition: A time-honoured platform for combating insecurity
Book Title: Handbook of Skill
Acquisition Training and Empowerment
Programmes (2nd
Ed.)
Author: Dr Benjamin Onoriode
Irikefe
Publisher: International Centre
for Sustainable Development,
Nigeria
Year of Publication: 2018
Pagination: 1074
Reviewer: Professor Joseph
OML 26 CDB empowers oil communities' indigenes
By Ochuko Akuopha
UCCOUR has come the
Sway of 533 persons from
35 oil bearing communities
in
Isoko North, Isoko South,
Ughelli North and Ndokwa
East local government areas,
Delta State, as the
Community Development
Board, CDB, of the Oil
Mining Lease, 26 presented
them with empowerment
items and grants worth
millions of naira in its third
edition of the capacity
building programme for
youths and women in the oil
bloc. Items presented to the
beneficiaries who are
indigenes of communities in
clusters one, two, three and
four in the oil bloc, included
deep freezers, gas cookers,
sewing machines, welding
machines, hair dryers,
grinding machines,
generators, hand mixers,
washing machines,ladders for
electrical work, laptops,
printers, barbing saloon
equipment, among others.
Speaking at the presentation
ceremony in Ozoro,
Chairman, OML 26 CDB,
Prince Johnson Akpomalue,
said the programme was
sponsored by NPDC/FHN26
AMT, and "financed with all
allocation from the OML 26
2017/2018 and first half of
2019 GMOU fund.
Saying that the scheme was
targeted at students in
secondary and tertiary
institutions, market women
and artisans that had learnt
various trades, he explained
that 254 beneficiaries received
starter packs, while 128 and
151 went home with grants
and market money
respectively.
On his part, the Manager,
Community Affairs, AMT,
NPDC, Mr. Blessyn Okpowo,
thanked members of the CDB
for the programme, saying, "l
am overwhelmed because I
can see transparency, honesty
and hard work in action."
There is the need to
properly institutionalize
the resettlement,
rehabilitation and
reconstruction of
insurgency devastated
territories and persons
demic institutions should
develop Vocation Specific
Trades or MSMEs (Micro,
Small and Medium Enterprises)
out of the various Academic
Curricula the students
can get engaged in,
after graduation.
• Graduates Enskillment
Programmes should be undertaken
to help Graduates
of Tertiary Institutions unlock
their creative and vo-
tion up to Post-Training Empowerment
through institutional
collaborations to lift
MSMEs and Artisanal Training
Outfits and Artisans.
•Trainers should be proactive,
accommodating and
passionate when managing
Trainees and also avoid the
commoditization of Training
Programmes.
• Provision of Skill Acquisition
Training is one of the
time-honoured programmes
that can be used to stem down
the menace of global insecurity,
pervasive poverty and
destabilization of the international
system.
•Continuous provisions
should be made to re-integrate
and empower Ex-Militants,
Civilian JTF (Joint Task
Force) Members, De-radicalized
Nigerian Repentant Ex-
Boko Haram Operatives,
IDPs and Nigerian Refugees
to enable them lead self-reliant,
productive and wholesome
livelihoods.
• There is the need to properly
institutionalize the resettlement,
rehabilitation and
reconstruction of insurgency
devastated territories and persons.
•Sambisa Joint Development
Territory (SJDT) should
be developed using Public Private
Partnership (PPP) Model
to make the Sambisa Forest
a security fort and economic
powerhouse for Nigeria rather
than leaving it to degenerate
into a safe haven for terrorists
and other criminal elements
to ply their trades.
Although the Second Edition
of the book was unveiled
at the highbrow Transcorp
Hilton, Abuja on the 17th of
July, 2019, the book was actually
published on the 5th
June, 2018. The formal unveiling
was delayed due to the
tight schedule of the author in
several training and capacity
building engagements.
The agenda setting and revolutionary
nature of the book
has made both pundits and
specialists alike, akin the author
to the “Adam Smith of
Nigeria.” It can be recalled
that in 1776, a Scottish Economist
and Moral Philosopher,
Adam Smith published
his book titled “An Inquiry
into the Nature and Causes of
the Wealth of Nations” generally
referred to by its shortened
title “The Wealth of Nations.”
His work is the foundation
of free market economy
till date.
On the whole, the Handbook
of Skill Acquisition
Training and Empowerment
Programmes (2nd) has been
adjudged by academics and
subject matter specialists as a
mentoring manual that can
be used to foster peace, security
and sustainable development
in all climes.
Chairman OML
26 CDB, Prince
Johnson
Akpomalue
(right), Manager,
Community
Affairs, AMT,
NPDC, Mr.
Blessyn Okpowo
(left) and others,
during the
presentation of
empowerment
items to indigenes
of oil producing
ethnic
nationalities.