NBDC trains 1600 youth in Taraba

The National Biotechnology Development Center (NBDC) said it has so far trained 1600 youth in various skills since it commenced operations in Taraba in 2012.

Coordinator of the centre, Dr. Jummai Adamu disclosed this on Tuesday in Jalingo while conducting Governor Darius Ishaku and his Deputy, Haruna Manu round some of the researches carried out by the Agency.

She explained that the centre has trained well over 1600 people in various skills and through researches developed moringa tea, Shea butter, Jatorpha biofuel and cake which is being used as cake for animal feeds as well converting the bye product into organic fertilizer.

Jummai told the governor that the Agency has 217 staff of which 70% of them were indigenes of the state while the other 30% are from other parts of the country and appealed to the governor to support the centre.

She enumerated some of the problems being faced by the center to include lack of transformer that will help the center power some of their machines that requires constant electricity, lack of classrooms for both theory and practical and a culvert to immediately help stop the threat of erosion threatening the gate of the center.

Responding, Governor Ishaku who was impressed with activities of the center promised to provide the centre with a transformer to help them in carrying out their activities stressing that electricity is very important in any research based center.

He also promised to construct a culvert to link the centre with the major road, assuring that his administration will construct six classrooms for the center when the economy of the state improves, saying that, the Bioresources development center is very critical and it will assist him in his rescue mission in the state.

Ishaku then directed the centre to train 100 indigenes of the State in various skills available in the centre.