The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Co-ordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme Prof. Charles Quaker Dokubo has said that job creation is a vital weapon for conflict reduction and resolution in the Niger Delta Region.
Prof. Dokubo stated this over the weekend during the grand finale of the first Amnesty Programme Culinary Skills Competition and Empowerment in Calabar, Cross River State.
He said the Amnesty Programme has the mandate to build the capacity of thirty thousand (30,000) beneficiaries and to reintegrate them into society with measurable indicators of sustainable livelihoods.This he said should stabilize security situations in the Niger Delta, leading to development and investment in the region.
Prof. Dokubo further explained that the Amnesty Programme is now at the third phase which is the reintegration process.
“The Presidential Amnesty Office has so far graduated about 16,168 beneficiaries in various vocational skills. These graduates Prof. Dokubo has passion to ensure that they are profiled for job placement empowered with business start-ups in various trade areas etc.
“This is for better life for them, their families and community at large. It is with this desire for impactful reintegration that the culinary skills competition and empowerment project was created by the Job Placement and International Development Partners Engagement Unit of the office. It is hoped that the competition which was the first of its kind, will have multiplier effects and sustainable job creation.
“Amnesty Got Talent in Culinary Skills” Competition started with 45 trained delegates among which 20 successful ones were profiled/boot camped. Eight participants made it to the semi-finals and four out of the eight were selected for the final” Prof. Dokubo noted.
The grand finale of the competition recorded a star winner, Ms. Ofoba Davies. Various cash prizes were given to the competitors.The star winner received eight hundred thousand naira, runner-up got five hundred thousand naira etc. the competitors were also empowered with starter packs which include sets of breakable flat and deep bowls, set of cutlery, industrial gas burners, oven, cylinders, chest freezers, generating sets etc.
The beneficiaries thanked Mr. President for not only sustaining the Amnesty Programme but also reintegrating and empowering them. They expressed profound gratitude to Professor Dokubo whose administration has made it to happen.
Meanwhile the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme on behalf of the Niger Delta people and Nigerian populace thanked the President and Commander in Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for his love and support of the Amnesty Programme.
