ASHENEWS reports that the Scientific Equipment Development Institute, Minna (SEDI), on Thursday graduated 100 students earlier trained on various skills in the state.
The students, drawn from drug-free associations, persons with disabilities groups, and other residents of the state capital were trained on six vocational skills which include polythene bag production, electrical installation and maintenance, screen printing technology, tailoring and fashion design, shoe and bag making as well as Agric business
In his remark, the Managing Director of SEDI, Prof. Mohammed Baba Ndaliman said that the institute has lived up to its mandate and has gone further to provide infrastructure for skilling up workers in the country.
“This initiative is coming at a time that the nation is crying so much that there are skilled gaps in almost all aspects of the economy to the extent that people are taking the skilled work available from us. To close this gap, people should take up skills.
“All the MDAs are almost choked up and there are gaps in this country that have not been filled.”
He said that the institute has prompted resourceful scientific laboratory projects that have aided in supporting education research.
Currently, he said that the institute was working on developing a digital laboratory for secondary school students as well as an automatic queue system that may be used in the conduct of computer-based tests.
“The institute has equally been at the forefront of providing consultancy services and training to renowned institutions and state governments in Nigeria,” he said.
Ndaliman lauded the Niger state government and its partners for their endless support of the institute.
He further solicited intervention to provide accommodation and transportation for trainees.
In his remark, the Niger state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Usman pledged to support the institute in line with the government’s ambition to create more jobs for its teeming youth.
“It is one of the cardinal points of this administration to encourage entrepreneurship and to this end, we established the MSME ministry and the facility management asset agency to encourage entrepreneurship.”
Bago equally announced a donation of N10 million to the 100 graduates to enable them to kickstart their various businesses.
