CVL TO TRAIN AND EMPOWER YOUTH ACROSS THE COUNTRY

The founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership Prof. Pat Utomi has said that Investing in people to have impact in a way that translates our youth bulge into a demographic dividend instead of unemployed young people becoming agents of social problems is a duty for Government, the private sector and Non-governmental Private Development Agencies working as Social Development Enterprise.

Prof. Utomi said these while making remarks to 100 young entrepreneurs at the opening of the CVL YETP for Delta State at St. Monica’s Catholic Church Ibusa, venue of the first phase of the training which is focused on Self-Mastery.

He told the youth that CVL hoped to put a total of 400 youth through the one year long Entrepreneurship programme and two hundred others through the finishing school  part of the programme.

Speaking to the participants, he said the value they were receiving free of charge would be over N3 million for the each of the 400 that will go through the YETP and at least N300,000 for the two hundred that will go through the finishing schools.

He paid tribute to CVL partners including Nagode Industries which he serves as Chairman who had sponsored the Self Mastery Trainer that came from India. He also thanked The Art of Living Foundation in India, The Central Bank of Nigeria and several companies committed to the programme. He further said that the next module following Self-Mastery would introduce the Pedagogy of the Determined during which participants would develop a vision for the country, themselves as individuals and the immediate community they seek to impact. That would be followed by entrepreneurship, marketing, finance and operation modules. Vocational skills training segments would then follow.

At that stage of the programme Prof Utomi explained, they would be sent on internship attachments to companies located in Asaba, Onitsha, and Benin.

To develop a culture of service and leadership capacity, a community service part of the programme would require that they use the vocational skills developed to construct prefabricated houses from kits imported into country. These houses valued at about N2 million would then be given away to a few widows and old ladies with challenged housing needs in the community around the training venues.

The CVL founder also indicated that the empowerment programme at the end of year would bring in sponsors to provide starter packs to participants, in addition to interested graduands being organised into cooperatives with access to participating Banks’ loan schemes. He said those interested in Agriculture would get land and be part of the outgrower scheme of the Integrated Produce City in Edo State.

CVL Chief Operating Officer, Uchenna Achunine in a statement in Lagos indicated that Adamawa would be the next zone for implementing the YETP which started with 100 youths in Ajegunle, Lagos, in 2016. He pointed out that CVL was pooling together resources from various sponsors for a programme which at full implementation in Delta will amount to value in excess of N800 million. Pointing out that the impact is expected to be in multiples of the N800m cost of input by CVL in terms of transformation of the lives of participants for good. Prof Utomi had urged the participants to embrace such life changing values and empowerment which teaches them to fish rather than accept handouts of cash that an entitlement mentality leads them to see as their share of the cake from corrupt leaders.

He said that just as Anambra was approved for a small delegation in the Delta programmes that of Adamawa will draw a small delegation from Taraba state.

Photo shows Participants at the CVL Young Entrepreneurship Training Programme with CVL Founder Prof. Pat Utomi, The Trainers and the Parish Priest of St. Monica’s Catholic Church Ibusa, Rev Fr Anthony Dibia.