participants at the skill acquisition programme by Rep Onuigbo


Rep Sam Onuigbo, still keeping faith with his promises to empower his constituents with  skill acquisition and empowerment programmes from Wednesday, Aug. 17 - Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022  rolled out a 5-day “Strategic Training\Empowerment For Unemployed Youths And Unskilled Women in his  Ikwuano/Umuahia N/S Federal Constituency.


The training and empowerment programme targeting  200 participants and executed in collaboration with the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) was held  at Kolping Society Centre,  Umuahia, Abia State.

Rep Sam Onuigbo


A statement from Rep Onuigbo's Liason office, Umuahia stated that  the exercise is in continuation of fulfilment of his promise made during his first term in office:  “It’s part of his continuous skill acquisition and empowerment programmes for his constituents in keeping with a promise he made during his first term, which he continued with  in his second term.


 “It is about empowering people through skill acquisition for self-employment because it is the way forward for Nigerians, it’s no longer a question of I am a graduate you are writing an application for jobs. 


“We are trying to get people to look for ways they can establish themselves and be able to have regular income rather than asking or begging people to give them money", the statement signed by Abraham Osondu, the Legislative Liason Officer stated. 


Participants were counselled to take advantage of the training as  it is intended to equip them with entrepreneurship skill as well as empower then financially empower and make them employers of labour. 


According to the Osondu,  the programme will run in two batches with the current batch incorporating 200 persons who  will be empowered with stipends and equipment to support them in their business start-up after thhe specialized training programme.


“We expect this will be accompanied by a package, the National Institutes for Cultural Orientation, NICO essentially has got a package, obviously during closing ceremony they will be saying what that package is, it will be a combination of equipment and of course the skills they’ve acquired and cash to get them start up”.


One of the participants, Mr Atuowu Chidiebube Joshua reviewing the first day of the programme explained that  “...this first day training centered on fish farming, in the course of the training we were told the factors affecting fish production in Nigeria and what you have to do to make sure that you keep your farm going and also some of the bad practices that farmers practice  that affect the fish farm and the best practices to adopt' He also expressed gratitude to the lawmaker for his consistent gesture in enhancing the living standard of the people by granting them access to economic opportunities.


Another participant,  Chibuogwu Ibe also expressed appreciation to Rep  Onuigbo for his thoughtful and kind  gesture  and prayed for God’s blessings on him.


Dailyledger.com.ng reports that Rep Onuigbo has executed series of skill acquisition and empowerment programmes including programmes on  fishing, poultry farming, tailoring, fashion designing and several other fields with  trainees provided with equipments, and  stipends as startup capital at the end of the programmes.