Shettima inaugurates ARISE Human Capital Development in A’Ibom

Etim Ekpimah

Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Monday, inaugurated the ARISE Human Capital Development (HCD) Strategy Plan in Uyo.

With the inauguration, Akwa Ibom became the first state to localise its HCD vision.

According to Shettima, the unveiling signalled that the true wealth of any nation depended on its human capital development that included the education of it people and the health of its citizens.

Shettima noted that every policy or programme that intervened in the lives of Nigerians could only succeed if it were rooted in the grassroots.

The Vice President added that human capital development plan was guided by a steady understanding of the direction of the world and where it was headed to.

He urged the country to pay attention to the citizens immunisation, youth unemployment and maternal mortality to enhance human capital development.

He asked the state government to domesticate the programme in all the local government areas to enhance grassroots development.

Shettima opined that the national human capital development programme,  which had entered it second phase is a solution that has been re-engineered to meet the current needs.

“This is a declaration that true wealth of any nation lies in the certainly of it human capital development, the education of its people, the health of its citizens and the productivity of its workforce.

“And what has brought us here to Uyo, the launch of the ARISE human capital development strategy by Governor Umo Eno is a template for states of the federation.

“It is a strategy that we cannot build an enduring past without a solid foundation.

“What Akwa Ibom has assured us here is not just progress but core leadership. It has become the first state in the nation to localize the HCD vision in it square point,” Shettima said.

The Vice President urged other states of the federation to emulate the Akwa Ibom State strategic human capital development plan.

Shettima praised Gov. Umo Eno of Akwa  Ibom State for his leadership vision in driving the initiative in the state.

In his remarks, Eno revealed that the programme of human capital development became imperative due to the paucity of trained manpower to address the challenges the world and the nation had faced in the aftermath of COVID-19.

The governor noted that it became necessary and proper for the state government to strengthen individual and institutional capacities to rise in real time to confront future pandemics.

“Human Capital Development Plan apart from the the above key area is also designed to expansively provide key human-centric projects such as; healthcare services, which we are currently executing through our investments in the construction and equipping of primary healthcare centres.

“The provision of quality education at both the primary and secondary levels with the construction and equipping of model primary schools.

“The planned construction of model secondary schools in three senatorial districts; the empowerment of our people, and equipping them with requisite skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

“This, we have done with the establishment of Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre (IBOM-LED) which today, has trained over 4,000 people with start-up grants ranging from N500,000 -N750,000.

“The Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre (DASAC), where we recently graduated over 400 trainees in various areas of marketable and entrepreneurial skills-set.

“These 400 graduands who were trained in areas such as ICT,  mechanised agriculture, carpentry, fashion design, tourism etc will be further exposed to additional trainings by IBOM-LED in entrepreneurial and other critical skillset,” Eno said.

The governor commended the administration President Bola Tinubu for this critical initiative, stressing that the President does not play politics with development.

He said the state was highly appreciative of the Federal Government for selecting Akwa Ibom State as the first for the launch of the programme.

“We are thrilled that our state was selected as the first for the launch of this programme. 

“This has further reinforced the fact that the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, does not play politics with development and this we deeply appreciate,” he said.

In her goodwill message, Mrs Nkechi Obi, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Techno Oil Limited, said that there could not be any meaningful development of any society without a deliberate actionable roadmap to address the critical challenges militating against human capital development.

Obi explained that the importance of human capital development to the economic buoyancy of a developing country like Nigeria cannot be overemphasised.

She said that Techno oil is in the forefront of ensure cleaner, greener safer and more environment friendly cooking for the women by producing quality cooking cylinders for the nation.

“As a woman, I strongly believe that our women and girls must not cook to die, rather they must cook to live.

“Techno Oil Limited which has been in business for over two decades is an integrated, wholly indigenous company which today holds a diverse portfolio of prime investment in oil and gas, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing.

“As a strategic partner committed to the Energy Transition Plan, LPG Utilization and expansion programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Techno Oil have in operation an Ultra-modern LPG Cylinder Manufacturing Plant with an annual production capacity of five million Cylinders,” Obi said.

Obi said from 2013 to date, Techno Oil has distributed over 20, 000 units of 6KG LPG cylinders to indigent women in Nigeria as Corporate Social Responsibility, aimed at promoting clean cooking amongst women and girls.

In his welcome remark, the Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Human Capital Development Council, Dr Nathaniel Adiakpan noted that the ARISE Human Capital Development Strategic Plan represents the collective resolve to empower citizens through education, key development and opportunities that foster innovation and creativity.

Adiakpan said the comprehensive framework is designed to address the unique needs of communities, to ensure that every citizen has resources and support releasing to thrive.