Magnus Aluma
The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Dr. Ifeanyi Odii says his administration will end the movement of children from the state to other towns for hawking and other forms of domestic work, if he is elected as governor in the 2027 election.
Odii made the declaration when he presented part of his manifestos on Channels Television’s Programme, Sunrise Daily.
He listed youth empowerment, education and skills acquisition as key components of his proposed administration.
He added that poverty and unemployment were the key factors that compel parents to send their children out to work as domestic helpers and street hawkers.
His words: “my administration would address the situation by creating skills-acquisition centres across the state and providing young people with practical training that could lead to wealth creation and self-employment.
“We will be re-educating our people. We will train our youths, some of them, in skills acquisition, building skills acquisition centres.”
“These centres would provide training in areas including carpentry, POP installation, tailoring, animal husbandry, fishery and other vocational skills.”
According to him, the proposed programme would cover all 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State.
He said each local government would have facilities capable of accommodating about 3,000 people, stressing that if the programme is achieved, about 39,000 Ebonyi people would be accommodated.
Dr. Odii further said his administration would make education a major priority; while scholarship programmes and improved learning environments would return to schools for children instead of engaging in money-making ventures at the early stages of their lives.
The governorship hopeful promised that his administration would also invest in agriculture and healthcare as part of a broader strategy to reduce household poverty in the state.
He maintained that creating a productive local economy would give families greater opportunities to keep their children in school and reduce the pressure to send them away for domestic work.
“We must create opportunities at home.
Ebonyi State has significant agricultural and mineral resources that could be developed to create jobs and improve household incomes,” Odii emphasised
“Our government will make a significant investment in mechanised farming, rural roads, skills development, and policies designed to attract private-sector investors into Ebonyi State,” Odii said.
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