Executive Secretary, National Commission for Nomadic Education (NCNE), Prof. Bashir H. Usman, has said despite the successes and breakthroughs recorded in the implementation of the National Nomadic Education programmes (NEP), the education programme “is besieged with a numbers of challenges that have continued to affect the smooth implementation process.”
He disclosed this in a welcome address at a two-day training workshop on Value Re-orientation, Social Vices and Livelihood Skills Development, organised for over 127 nomadic youths in Kaduna.
According to him, the challenges include “eroding social values of the beneficiaries, social vices, youths restiveness, low levels of literacy, heightened insecurity in form of rural banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, poverty, lack of entrepreneurial skills, absence of guidance and counselling, incessant community crisis mostly between pastoralists and farmers.”
Usman, who was represented by Director of Administration, Mrs. Ejeoma G. Amugo, said it was in appreciation of the challenges that the Commission organised the training to re-orientate the nomadic youths against social vices and other criminal activities.
He said the initiative of empowering the youths with skills selected from 10 states across the federation from ages of 18 and 35 years “can go a long way in reducing poverty level of many nomadic societies, reduce youth restiveness, social vices such as cattle rustling, kidnapping, raping, rural banditry and incessant conflicts leading to wanton destruction of lives and property.
“When a nomadic youth learns skills, he can use the skills to feed, assist others and even invest for the future. A youth who is empowered with improved animal husbandry can earn from it till he dies.
“Youth empowerment is of good important to both nations and the empowered, their future prosperity and nations is secured, ensures these are the people that are future leaders of any nation, which implies the youths are the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
In his remarks, the Head of Social Mobilisation and Outreach of the Commission, Alhaji Mohammed D el-Nafaty, said the importance of nomadic youths re-orientation were basically to ensure “poverty eradication, good education standard, good governance, security, crime reduction, national growth, technical development, employment and wealth creation and self-reliance.”
“The process for development of this significant nomadic youths training came to fruition through the support and contributions of the management under the leadership of Prof. Bashir H. Usman,” he said.
