The Green Code (GRC) in partnership with International Alert (IA) has graduated 200 Borno youths in skills acquisition and other trades. The training fund is provided by the U.S Embassy under the Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership project for peace building in the Northeast. While addressing the grandaunts Monday in Maiduguri, the GRC project officer, Samson Oyeleke disclosed: “This project is to reduce the risks of recruiting people into Boko Haram sect and prevent them from terrorism and other violent extremism in insurgency affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.” According to him, the graduated youths are drawn from Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere and Bama Local Government Areas of Borno state. He said the training is on skills acquisition with three months courses in various trades to restore their means of livelihoods. He said that the acquisition of skills could also prevent the youths from engaging in terrorism and other violent extremism in communities.
“We’re conscious of the adverse implications of displacement of two million people in the region,” he said; warning that they could be lured into violent extremism and other criminal activities that led to the loss of many lives and property. He added that the trained youths are given start-up packs to pick up their lives in the military liberated communities. While commending GRC for the training, the State Commissioner for Youths and Sport, who was represented by the Director for Youths, Hadiza Lawan urged the youths to make good use of their training in various acquired skills. The distributed tools and equipment to the graduating trainees include deep freezers, sewing, welding, grinding and welding machines.
