Minister Seeks Private Firm's Assistance At Reviving Training Centre
BY LEKAN OKUSAN, FOLAKE OLUJIMI AND TOYIN BANJO
MINISTER for Inter-governmental Affairs, Special Duties and Youth Development, Mr. Frank Nwoke (Jnr.), on Thursday in Lagos re-echoed the need for private firms to complement efforts by the government to revive some comatose establishments.
Nwoke spoke during his familiarization tour of the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Sea School, Snake Island, Apapa, Lagos.
The minister, who decried the condition of facilities at the centre, said: "Private sector must come to the aid of the place to upgrade the centre to an international standard. The government has put the structure in place. It is now left for people to come and complement the efforts of the government to change the face of this place."
He described the centre as a heritage of the country, which, if well utilized, would help in training future leaders and be useful for bigger corporation in the country.
Nwoke said: "I am sad about the situation of things here. The facilities are deteriorated and I am going to take special interest to ensure that the they are put in place.
"This place must witness greater patronage if well upgraded, while major corporations can come here for their training."
The minister said he was visiting the place for the first time after the Youth Development Ministry had been placed under his ministry, assuring that the centre would be renovated before the end of the year.
The minister inspected the hostels and other structures in the centre and had an interactive session with the students of Redeemers' International Secondary Secondary School, Maryland and Rainbow College who were at the centre for a two-week leadership training.
He urged the students to utilize all the knowledge they had acquired at the centre to better their society, advising them to always obey elders and their parents.
In his address, the Director General of the Centre, Malam Yusuf Adamu, described the training institution as the second oldest unit established in 1965 and as a place founded for the development of human being.
According to him, the centre has contributed immensely to human development in the country, churning out over 800,000 persons since its inception.
His words: "With this and the extensive usage through the years, coupled with the slow pace of refurbishment and replacement of necessary equipment, structures and facilities, the rate of depreciation is unimaginable. The impact of flooding and gradual wear-off of the land surface of the island at a very constant and alarming rate has led to a gradual reduction of usable land space in the environment."
