How corps member is empowering Maiduguri youths on computer literacy, generator repairs

Eventually, 40 of us were selected and thank God, we are now skilled small generator technicians with just about two weeks to complete our training. Our lives have changed. Our parents and members of the community now treat us with respect. I am certain that many more would benefit because we have pledged to identify […]

Eventually, 40 of us were selected and thank God, we are now skilled small generator technicians with just about two weeks to complete our training. Our lives have changed. Our parents and members of the community now treat us with respect. I am certain that many more would benefit because we have pledged to identify and train others of our kind,” Ali Kachalla, an urban youth gang leader and a beneficiary of the small generator urban youth technicians skill acquisition project which was initiated by a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) 2009 Batch ‘C’ member serving in Borno State with support from a local non-governmental organization (NGO), and with funding from a United Nations (UN) agency at Maisandari Ward in Maiduguri metropolis.

Borno State award winning corps member, Amina Abdullahi Shuaibu, the initiator and a member of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Community Development Service (CDS) group, said the project is a contribution to the global struggle to attain Goal One of the MDGs that seeks to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. According to her, the project provides skills for indigent urban unemployed youths to ensure self-reliance.

Kanem Trust investigations reveal that the urban youth skills acquisition programme received funding from the UN-HABITAT, the United Nations (UN) agency based in Kenya that promotes socially and environmentally sustainable human settlement development programmes.

Its focus, among others are: urban poverty, shelter, water, urban development, urban management, urban governance and urban environment.`

It was also learnt that only 69 proposals were approved out of 1,569 proposals that were submitted from across the globe. The originators of the successful proposals were all invited to undergo training in project management in Nairobi, Kenya. The urban youth ICTs training and technicians small generator repairs skills acquisition, which is now empowering Maiduguri youths, was equally adjudged one of the best.

“There are two activities involved in this project; the training of 40 male and female youths in ICTs as well as the training of 40 male youths in small generator repairs. The world is becoming a global village and the demand for computer literacy is high. The youths could become self-employed if given computer knowledge. For the small generator repair, most of the beneficiaries are drug addicts. And from my interaction with them, I have discovered that a lot of them are intelligent. So providing technical skills for youths on how to repair small generator that can be found in almost every household and business premises within the metropolis and environs, would give them a means of livelihood and make them responsible members of their society”, Amina explained.

Our correspondents learnt that the application for funding was sought by the initiator through the Internet. “The experience acquired at my place of primary assignment helped in the design and application for the grant and has equally guided the process of selecting beneficiaries. For those for the training on how to use the internet and computer, I know that someday, somehow, they too would be able to use that knowledge in accessing such funds and impacting on their society in various forms,” she narrated.

The selection of 80 participants, 40 each, from Maisandari and Maduganari wards were conducted with the help of traditional leaders (at Maisandari) and officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW (at Maduganari), our correspondent learnt. This was made possible through field interaction and community service work as a result of community service offered by Herwa Community Development Initiative, an NGO which served as the place of primary assignment of the initiator.

Some beneficiaries and residents of the selected areas who spoke to our correspondent said most of the youths were either products of rural-urban migration for greener pastures or school leavers and drop outs, but became political thugs, drug addicts and unemployed due to lack of gainful employment and constraint of funds to seek further formal education.

Mohammed Ngubdo Hassan, the Executive Director of Herwa Community Development Initiative, the supporting local NGO, whose tutelage founded the thrust for this project said the computer literacy component of the project would prepare students going for tertiary education with computer knowledge to enable them undertake research through the Internet; and for those that cannot further their education, to establish computer business centres.

“For the technicians undergoing small generator repairs training, the aim is to fight poverty and reduce youth restiveness. If you take a look at the environment (Maisandari), most of the youths are into drugs and involved in political thuggery. The overall goal is to change the attitudes and behaviours of the youths, by turning them into responsible citizens so that they can contribute their quota to the development of society”, Ngubdo explained.

Kanem Trust also learnt that the youths under the technicians small generator repair scheme would get N6,500 each as revolving loan, which they are expected to repay as they re-train other unskilled and unemployed youths. “When the first sets of trainees repay their loans, we give back same loans to the new sets of trainees. That way, we intend to create an unending circle for eradicating poverty and empowering urban youths”, Ngubdo told our correspondent.

Mr. Dominic Bamgbose, the Borno State NYSC Assistant Director of Operations at the commissioning of the ICTs project, which is located at the office of Herwa, applauded the initiative. He said the 20 computer systems and the standby generating set would go a long way to provide computer education for youths in the area and make them self reliant, adding that the widespread impact would eventually validate the idea behind the establishment of the NYSC scheme.