April 14, (THEWILL) – April 14, (THEWILL) – Vice President Kashim Shettima has said that the true wealth of any nation lies in its human capital development, including education of its people, the health of citizens and the productivity of its workforce.
He stated this on Monday while officially launching the ARISE Human Capital Development Strategy Plan in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, as the first in the nation to localise the HCD vision in its square point.
Speaking while unveiling the plan, Shettima commended the state governor, Pastor Umo Eno, for his leadership vision in driving the initiative in the state.
According to him, “Every policy or programme that intervenes in the lives of our people can only succeed if it is rooted in the grassroots. This gathering testifies to that, and I share in the joy of the good people of Akwa Ibom state for the promise of the day.
“This is a declaration that true wealth of any nation lies in the certainty of its 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 localise the HCD vision in its square point. While other states are strategising, Akwa Ibom has taken the bold steps by adopting at all levels of local government areas.”
He disclosed that the national human capital development programme, which has entered it second phase, is a solution that has been re-engineered to meet the moment, emphasising that HCD 2.0 is about integration and impact, which was built on the foundation of HCD 1.0 which goes further to incorporate cross-cutting themes.
“They are the core of our national well being and as it is often said, we cannot stop where we do not measure. That is why we have launched the HCD dashboard to monitor these indicators across the states and local governments. We are deploying data not for stock but for results because every data is a story a child not vaccinated, a mother at child birth
In his remarks, Gov Umo Eno said the programme became imperative due to the paucity of trained manpower to address the challenges the world and our nation had faced in the aftermath of COVID- 19.
Eno said 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 N5,000 -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 graduates 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 of President Bola Tinubu for the 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 as the first state to launch 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 said 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 to ensure cleaner, greener, safer and more environment-friendly cooking for 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 Utilisation and expansion programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria,
“Techno Oil has 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, Mr 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.
He 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.
“Furthermore, the Local Government Human Capital Development Implementation Roadmap will serve as a critical guide for our local governments, enabling them to effectively implement these strategies at the grassroots level.
“By strengthening our local institution, we can ensure that the benefits of human capital development reach every individual, creating a ripple effect of positive change across our state”, he stated.
