By Bridget Ikyado
Makurdi – Benue state government has trained over 2,000 youths across the three geo-political zones in acquisition of various skills, Mr Lawrence Onoja, the Commissioner for Sports Development, has said.
Onoja made the disclosure on Thursday in Makurdi while presenting the ministry’s stewardship since the inception of the incumbent administration.
He said that youths were trained in e- business, website and bloc designs, photography, video production, beauty therapy, soap and detergent making among other trades.
He added that the ministry also embarked on various training programmes with startups in entrepreneurship and business development initiatives.
“The ministry is also collaborating in strategic partnerships with national and international agencies on various training programmes to enhance skilled manpower in the state.
“We distributed 66,504 packets of condoms to Benue youths at viewing centre’s and athletes during sporting events on quarterly basis,” he said.
Onoja said the ministry also hosted the reunion handball championship during the last quarter of 2016.
He said the ministry was planning to organise series of sporting activities to keep the sporting calendar active.
He listed the sporting activities to include the governor’s tournament in 2017, the First Lady’s Cup, handball, open championship, basketball, volleyball championships and Chess amongst others.
“We are collaborating with the Ministry for Education to enhance schools sporting activities to pave way for the discovery of talents at the grassroots,” he said.
Onoja said the states ‘contingent at the 2016 Athletics Federation of Nigeria did well by winning 10 medals
He said the state participated in several sporting championships in the country and won laurels in many of them.