By ohanele casca
History was made over the weekend, Friday 28th March, 2014 at Metallurgical Training Institute, MTI, Onitsha, Anambra State as 52 out of 200 Imo youths undergoing training at the institute under the Deputy Speaker, House of Reps, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha’s constituency project on Skill Acquisition Training for Youths in Imo, graduated in various fields of engineering, systems and ICT maintenance. Five of the graduands who distinguished themselves in the course of the training were given automatic federal employment by Metallurgical Training Institute, They include: Mbamara Chris, Ibe Cynthia, Placid Ikechukwu, Odinaka Victor and Obasi Bruno.
In his address at the 1st graduation ceremony, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, reiterated his commitment to empower the youths to rediscover and reacquire skills. Ihedioha regretted the high rate of unemployment in Imo State which he intends to address by emancipating the young generation through his numerous empowerment programmes which have benefitted more than 3000 Imo youths in the past three years. The Deputy Speaker charged the youths to always strive for excellence and productivity in all their endeavours, as their own contribution to the eradication of poverty and wealth creation for national development. Youths from the 27 LGAs of Imo State benefitted from the programme.
The Director of the Institute, Engr Ranti Ajamolaya and the Deputy Director/Head of Training of the institute, Engr Okonkwo I.I in their separate addresses described Rt Hon Ihedioha as the Most Youth Friendly Deputy Speaker the nation has had and as a man who has taken a bold step which no single individual has taken in the affairs of MTI noting that by his wisdom, courage and vision of training Imo youths, he has erased poverty from the benefitting families as well as removed violence from the streets of Imo State. In a brief remark, Hon Toby Okechukwu representing, Awgu/Oji River/ Ani federal constituency of Enugu State in the House of Reps described the 6months training of Imo youths in different Engineering and ICT maintenance skills as empowerment extraordinary.
The graduates conferred on the Deputy Speaker a title as ‘Emancipator of the Deprived in the society’. Speaking to newsmen, one of the graduands offered automatic employment by MTI, Miss Ibe Cynthia, expressed her joy and appreciation to the Deputy Speaker and the management of MTI for impacting on their lives. She prayed for the success of the Deputy Speaker in his political ambition.
