Abia plans tuition-free skills acquisition schools, bans one-way traffic

…Suspends environmental sanitation

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

Abia State government has disclosed plans to build skills acquisition schools across the three senatorial zones of the state where youths would trained to acquire skills.
Youth will be trained in various skills in the schools for one year, free of charge, at the end of which the trainees would be empowered to start their own businesses.
Commissioner for Information and Culture, Prince Okey Kanu, made the government’s plans known on Monday while briefing journalists on the outcome of this week’s Executive Council (EXCO) meeting, at Government House, Umuahia..
Prince Kanu said that government was interested in raising youth with skills and self-reliant.
“Let me start by informing us that one of the major takeaways of today’s EXCO is the fact that the state government will set up tuition-free schools for skills acquisition in the three senatorial zones of the state.
“This is in line with the state government’s stance that we are a serious-minded government that is not given ro frivolities
“This ia a government that doesn’t believe in empowering people with Keke and the like,” the Commissioner said.
He added: “The government is interested in training people to acquire skills and people who will be trained so that they can stand on their own.
“So, the schools will be tuition-free and at the end of their one year training, they will be empowered with funds to go and start their own businesses.”
Skills that would be taught in the schools include solar power assembling and installation, POP designing and installation, painting, masonry, tiling, among others.
He said that Abia was in short supply of artisans with such skills, hence the need for building the schools that would provide the opportunity for the skills training.
“Of course you know that for quite a while now, we have been lacking artisans that have these skills. Those artisans we have in these areas come from outside the state and the country,” Kanu said, adding that “the state government is poised to put an end to that and to ensure that we have our own young people who will take up these skills, acqire them and make a living from them.”
In the build up to the commissioning of Geometric Power Plant in Aba on Saturday, February 24, 2024, supply of gas from Owaza to the new Power Plant has commenced.
“As Geometric Power gets set to Commission its power plant, let me inform us that the supply of gas to the plant commenced last Saturday.
“We know that without gas, such a plant will not be able to operate, without gas, the operations will be hindered. We are happy to note that gas supply from Owaza has started.
“That is a pointer to what we will see on the day of the commissioning and the days after the commissioning, that the plant has come to stay,” the Commissioner said.
To ensure hitch-free movement on that day, government announced the suspension of the February sanitation exercise that would have taken place on that day.
“This month’s environmental exercise has been suspended, as a result of the commissioning of the Geometric Power Plant that comes up on Saturday, February 24, 2024. The reason for suspending it is the fact that we envisage that a lot of visitors will come from outside the state.
“When we have such important visitors, you don’t need to impede their movement around the state,” he reasoned.
However, he said that government encourages Abians to ensure that they cleaned up their immediate surroundings, even though there would be no enforcement and restriction of movements.
To reduce accidents and ensure sanity among motorist, the Commissioner also announced that government has banned driving against traffic in the state. Doing so, he warmed has become a serious offence
“Let me also inform us that government has banned what we call one-way traffic in all parts of the state. It is now an offence to drive against traffic in all parts of the state.
“We dont like people who engage in unwholesome act, people who revel in impunity, causing accidents.
This is in keeping with the culture of doing things right as is being preached by this government,” the Commissioner said.