By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
The Centre for Human Rights and Accountability Network, CHRAN has called on Akwa Ibom government to make it a deliberate policy to empower female youths in the State with life enhancement and skill acquisition training.
CHRAN Director in the state, Mr Franklyn Isong, made the call when it received in audience the Progenitor of the Female Youth Association (Purple Girls), Mrs Edna Udeme who paid the Centre an advocacy visit yesterday in Uyo.
The Center which was also taken on a facility tour of the Female Youth Academy, a subsidiary of the Female Youth Association commended Udeme for training and empowering over three thousand 3,000 female youths with various vocational skills in the state.
It commended the former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for the supports they gave to the Association, expressing optimism that the ARISE Agenda of Governor Umo Eno would collaborate with the Academy in training and empowering of female youths on various skills.
The Centre lauded Udeme for using her meagre resources to train and empower the downtrodden, while commending her resilience and passion in bridging the gap between male and female youths in the State but urged her to expand the academy to also accommodate skills acquisition training for the male youths.
Udeme, who had earlier conducted the CHRAN’s team round her Academy’s facility, Haute Couture and Creative Arts (Fashion and Designing); Information and Communications Technology (ICT); Culinary Arts and Hospitality (Catering); Hairdressing and Wig Artistry; Cosmetics and Headgear Artistry (Make-up and Gele Tying); Cinematography and Photographic Arts; Music and Instrumental Performance (The Purple Brass); and Business Management Advisory.
The Progenitor regretted that due to lack of sufficient space, the academy could only accommodate 200 trainees every year from the 31 local councils and has trained and empowered with starter packs 800 female youths in the last four years.
According to their tradition,she further stated, four new trainees would always be attached to each of the graduands for training and mentorship.
She revealed that the visit to CHRAN was part of activities marking the 7th Anniversary of the Association and listed her challenges to include lack of better accommodation for the academy, inadequate funds for transportation trainees who come from rural communities daily and high cost of running the academy, appealing for supports from Eno and his wife.
She also called for support from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), EXXON Mobil and other multinational oil companies operating in Akwa Ibom, as well as, well-placed Nigerians to support the Purple Girls.
