Obaseki urges youths to sustain the N-Power revolution

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday described the N-Power scheme as a revolution that had never happened in the country before and urged the youths to sustain it by re-electing President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governor stated this while addressing the 12,000 N-Power Volunteers in Edo at a Town Hall meeting and inaugurating the “Build the Future’’ (BTF) campaign for Buhari/Osinbajo in Benin.

Obaseki urged the participants to always bear in mind that Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who initiated the Social Investment Programmes had the youths at heart.

“The Federal government under Buhari in its desire for the future of the youth initiated this scheme.

“This is first class; it is a revolution; politics apart it has never happened in the country before,’’ the governor said.

According to him, N-Power says “share the opportunities for the benefit of all generations’’, urging them to “look for the opportunities in the scheme, larch on to them and develop them for your general wellbeing.’’

The governor called on the participants not to behave like their older generation who were born into instability, crisis and military take overs.

He advised them to carve their own niche as people born into stability and technology to build their future.

“You must see lives differently as the power to change your lives are now in your hands.

“You must be grateful to Buhari and Osinbajo for this development agenda; see this scheme as an opportunity to jump start your life as we in Edo have the intention of recognizing those among you who had shown diligence at work.”

The governor remarked that the state government was rebuilding its health sector where it would use N-Power volunteers who are technology savvy.

He also said that the state has concluded the training of 7,000 teachers and would train additional 7,000 with priority on the N-teach volunteers.

“Why will you not have permanence when you have permanence in your hands?’’ he asked.

According to Obaseki, the government had earmarked N5billion to invest in agriculture where it expected to engage no fewer than 10,000 youth.

“Seeing this programme which the federal government initiated and Edo has cued into makes 2019 your own year,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, said the 12,000 beneficiaries were the few chosen from the 350,000 applicants in the first batch as well as the over 2.5 million applications received in the second.

He told them to take the scheme seriously as a work, learn and entrepreneurship programme, noting that volunteers that failed to be diligent at work had other six persons waiting to replace them.

“Your ultimate permanence is being able to stand on your own and employ others.’’

Imoukhuede and his monitoring team had earlier visited the N-Power Technical Hardware Training Centre at Amagba, in Oredo area council, where he informed the beneficiaries that about 1,000 of them from the South South region were deployed to the centre.

He said the programme was not run on party basis as many opposition states got the highest number of volunteers.

“This is an all-inclusive programme and there is hardly any household that has not been impacted by the 500,000 graduate programme,’’ he declared.

Imoukhuede, who also explained the BTF campaign programme, told the beneficiaries that it was a voluntary programme for those who wished to support the re-election bid of Buhari/Osinbajo.

It was reported that it was jubilation with the song of “Sai Baba’’ as the BTF bus drove through major streets in Benin distributing vests and fez caps.