Ohaji Youths Seek Overseas Education, Skills Training To Tackle Poverty, Unemployment

By Ikenna Orioha

Youths from the oil-producing communities of Ohaji have called on the Imo State Government and stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to empower them through overseas education, ICT training, skills acquisition programmes and vocational training to promote peace, economic growth and social development in the region.

The appeal was made by the Assistant Secretary of the Umudegbu Youth Association, Comrade Festus Amadi, during an interview with our correspondent at Obitti, Ohaji, on Monday.

Amadi said exposing youths from oil-producing communities and local government areas to overseas education, internship programmes and vocational training would equip them with valuable skills, enhance their financial independence and contribute positively to society.

According to him, such empowerment initiatives would not only improve the livelihoods of young people but also promote sustainable peace and accelerate the development of the oil-bearing communities.

He urged the Imo State Government to address the growing poverty, hunger and hardship in Ohaji, Egbema and Oguta, noting that these oil-producing areas generate significant revenue for the state.

 He appealed to the authorities to respond promptly to their demands, adding that several other Niger Delta states have consistently sponsored their youths for overseas education and skills development programmes.

Amadi said, “Since Imo State was officially recognised as one of Nigeria’s oil-producing states, no youth from the oil-producing local government areas has been sponsored abroad for internship programmes, formal education or specialised skills training.

“Does this neglect suggest that the youths of Ohaji, Egbema and Oguta are not intelligent or capable of benefiting from such opportunities, as their counterparts in Rivers State and other oil-producing states have done?

“It is unfortunate that poverty, hunger and unemployment continue to affect a large number of people, particularly young people in the oil-bearing communities of Imo State, despite the enormous mineral wealth in the area.

“The Imo State Government should recognise the need to empower the youths of Ohaji, Egbema and Oguta. These communities produce the resources that contribute significantly to the state’s economy, and they deserve greater attention and investment.”