Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), on Wednesday, graduated 300 indigent youths under its Technical Skills Training Programme in the Niger Delta.

The youths were drawn from nine states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.

Samuel Ogbuku, managing director of NDDC, made this known during the graduation ceremony and presentation of certificates to the trained youths in Port Harcourt.

Represented by the NDDC executive director of projects, Victor Antai, Mr Ogbuku said the beneficiaries received training in technical skills tailored to meet manpower needs in the oil and gas and manufacturing industries.

The training covered pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations, and sandblasting.

According to him, the beneficiaries acquired the specialised skills that have made them employable, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“They are now skilled professionals in key critical areas, which makes them ambassadors of the NDDC and pioneers of a new era of empowerment and productivity.

“This programme, designed to address youth restiveness and fill manpower gaps in the oil and gas sector, is part of our strategy to reduce poverty in the Niger Delta,” he said.

Mr Ogbuku noted that the commission had made significant investments in youth development initiatives, aimed at boosting small and medium-scale enterprises and reducing dependence on white-collar jobs.

He urged the beneficiaries to remain focused and utilise the skills they had acquired to earn a living and support their families.

Lyna Okara, director of Commercial and Industrial Development, explained that the programme was designed to promote sustainable development in the region in line with the amended NDDC Establishment Act of 2000.

(NAN)