The youths of Imo State have passed a vote of confidence on Governor Hope Uzodimma, citing his style of administration and love for them as shown in the governor’s approval of N6billion for their empowerment in the next three years and immediate release of N2billion for training and skill acquisition.
No less than 2,000 youths who have undergone training at the Imo Youth Centre Owerri passed the vote of confidence on the governor when they paid a solidarity visit to him at the Government House Owerri, Thursday.
They told the Governor they came to thank him for approving empowerment programme for over 7000 of them, and to let him know that they believe in his leadership and in the shared Prosperity Government of his administration.
They acknowledged that Imo youths are now creative, having acquired skills from the various training programmes organized for them by Governor Uzodimma.
To show their commitment to Governor Uzodimma’s government, they said they are ready to join forces with anyone to stop all social media attacks on the Governor as well as to resist any attempt aimed at thwarting the good efforts of government, assuring that by the governor’s programmes and policies for Imo youths they are now better educated, equipped and wiser to confront their future.
They however appealed to the Governor to find time to visit their Centre to enable him appreciate the programmes and activities that take place there regularly which they are involved in.
Presenting the youths earlier, the Senior Special Assistant on Youth Affairs to the Governor, Eric Uwakwe said that the youths that came to visit the Governor were not rented but youths of Imo State who have followed his programmes and policies since he became governor and can attest to his love for them.
Responding, Governor Uzodimma commended the youths on the way and manner they have conducted themselves and promised that “in the next one to 10 days the youths will be receiving their startup capital” for the training they have undergone.
The Governor assured them that government will empower 10,000 of them with equipment and seed capital before the end of the year and that those who will benefit will include the youths underwent training now and the ones who were trained earlier by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Skill Acquisition.
The governor urged the youths to challenge the old generation with the empowerment they will be getting to prove that the youths can manage money and businesses contrary to the belief of the old generation.
He encouraged them to go into businesses that will give them job satisfaction as employers of labour instead of being employees, noting that they “should bear in mind that success brings envy.”
He promised that those who become successful in the first phase will be invited to run a secondary programme that will expand their scope of business.
He expressed joy in the interest and participation they showed by buying into the youth empowerment programmes of the State, saying, “one thing is rolling out a policy and another is getting the target audience buy-in to it.”
The governor emphasized that Imo youths are partners in the bid to advance the course of history and make Imo great again, saying that for Imo State to move forward, it will depend on youths programmes and how we manage our youths because “the youths are no longer leaders of tomorrow but leaders of today as exemplified in some advanced nations like France.”
The Governor promised to regularly visit the Imo Youth Centre to assess what they are doing there, even as he reminded them to fathom agriculture into whatever they are doing as the opportunities in the sector are enormous and beneficial.
Present at the visit were the Secretary to State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, the Chief of Staff, Barr. Nnamdi Anyiehie, Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba and other members of the Executive Council Imo State.