FG to train 100,000 youths in brick moulding.

The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to train about 100,000 youths in bricks moulding.

It has therefore imported 774 machines that will be distributed to all the 36 states of the federation for the training.

The Special Adviser to the President on Youth Empowerment, Ambassador Obi Adim, said this on Monday while inspecting the equipment and the bricks moulding machines imported from South Africa at Apo Village, Abuja.

He said that the training, which would be carried out under the Integrated Youth Economic Empowerment Programme (IYEEP), was meant to uplift the socio-economic status of the beneficiaries.

Adim was represented by the National Coordinator of IYEEP, Mr. Nwoke Obinna.

He explained that the training would also help in addressing building collapse as bricks would be produced in commercial quantities.

The presidential aide said a unit of the machine cost the government $120,000 (N1.9million).

He said the machine would also be used in producing other cement-related products like interlock and rings for culverts. He said, ‘‘We know that we have our normal brick moulders, block moulders and others.

‘‘But, this one is not like what we used to know. We have an automated machine, an imported equipment, which we are going to use to produce these bricks in commercial quantity.

“We are giving you fabricated bricks that are not too common in Nigeria and that will also help us in the area of building collapse, of course.’’

Obinna said products from the training would be used in the construction of the 6,000 housing units’ project of the Federal Capital Territory.

He added that some of the machines allocated to Kaduna State for the effective implementation of the recently signed MoU on IYEEP between his Office and the Kaduna State government.

The Head of the training programme, Mr. Richard Hanking-Kent, commended the Federal Government for introducing the skills acquisition scheme. (Source - Punch)