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By Gloria Ikibah

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has urged young Nigerians to acquire practical skills that will enable them to become self-reliant and contribute to the development of the country.

Kalu made the call on Monday while flagging off a four-month skills development programme for 150 youths in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State.

The programme, tagged “An Artisan Training on Building Projects”, is sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and facilitated by Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), with the support of the Office of the Deputy Speaker.

Although 150 youths were selected from across Abia State, Bende secured 130 slots, with trainees drawn from each of the 13 political wards in the local government following the intervention of the Deputy Speaker’s office.

Abia and Enugu are the two South-East states selected for the pilot phase of the programme and are the first to commence training in the current cohort.

The programme, which runs from August to November 2026, comprises two months of theoretical training and two months of practical sessions.

Speaking at the opening ceremony in Bende, Kalu, who represents the Bende Federal Constituency, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the African Development Bank and Family Homes Funds Limited for supporting initiatives aimed at equipping young Nigerians with relevant skills.

He said the programme reflected the President’s commitment to youth development.

“Let me thank my leader in politics, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a President who is not just saying he loves the youths in words, but doing that through action. This initiative won’t be possible without the help of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is the one who has energised Family Home to begin to scout for youths who will be equipped for the future,” Kalu said.

The Deputy Speaker described Nigeria’s youthful population as one of the country’s greatest assets, particularly as the nation prepares for a future in which its population is expected to rank among the world’s largest.

He urged the trainees to remain committed to the programme and resist any temptation to abandon their training midway.

Kalu disclosed that participants who successfully complete the programme will receive certificates recognised nationally and internationally, while job placements had also been arranged for qualifying participants in the first phase.

He urged the beneficiaries to regard themselves as part of the foundation for rebuilding Bende, Abia State and Nigeria.

“The only way you are going to pay Mr. President, the African Development Bank back, Family Home and the Office of the Deputy Speaker back is by showing dedication. Finish the training. What is waiting for you at the end is big.

“The youths are the energy of the nation. The more we equip them, the better we build the nation. If we abandon them, we abandon our future. If we hold their hands, we prepare a nation that generations unborn will be proud of. That is why I am happy to be here, see you all bright and ready to build the nation.

“We decided to go this route because we are looking for what we can give you, that somebody cannot take away from you because it will go with you everywhere you go. The knowledge you acquire from here will germinate into a very big tree that will provide shelter for a whole lot of people.
“I am counting on you, as we want to rebuild Bende, rebuild Abia, rebuild the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I am counting on you. Segment by segment, phase by phase, we will train a whole lot of youths, for them to be able to fend for themselves and fend for their loved ones,” he said.

A representative of Family Homes Funds Limited, Builder Ugwueri John, said the initiative was in line with the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce dependence on white-collar employment by equipping young Nigerians with practical skills.

He thanked Kalu for ensuring that the programme was brought to Bende.

“Thank you for bringing this training to Bende. This training will last for four months, starting from this August to November. It is an intervention programme, keying into the mantra of this present government to equip our unemployed youths with skills.

“It is a skill that drives economy of this nation and our teaming unemployed youths rely on white collar jobs or government jobs. So, the government of the day saw the need to engage our youths in skill development and this one is one of them.

“Out of the 150 trainees selected for the training, Bende has the highest number courtesy of the Deputy Speaker.

“For these four months, we are going to dedicate them to the theoretical aspect of the training for two months which we have already started and practical training for another two months. I want to thank the Deputy Speaker for bringing this training to Bende,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the trainees, Kalu Chinedu Peter, from Amogwu village in Bende LGA, expressed appreciation to the President and Deputy Speaker for bringing the programme to the community.

“I am one of the trainees. On behalf of my fellow students, we are thanking His Excellency for bringing this particular programme to Bende town. We pray that he will continue to be on that seat till 2031, and we pray that our President, Senator Bola Tinubu Ahmed will continue till 2031. Enemies will never see them,” he said.

Another trainee, Dabara Samuel Fumilayo from Item B in Bende, said the training will have benefits beyond the immediate beneficiaries.

“I want to appreciate His Excellency for his love and care for the youths. Personally, I am keen to be a full partaker of this project because we are not really talking about today, we are talking about our future, not only for us, for the upcoming ones. Whatever we learn here will not only benefit people of Item, Abia and the whole Nigeria, but the world,” she said.

The organisers said the training will be implemented in phases to enable more interested young people to benefit from the initiative.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, has approved the appointment of two media professionals to strengthen the communication of the ministry’s mandate and the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The appointments, announced by the Spokesperson of theMinistry, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, are Mr Richard Elesho as Special Assistant on Media and Strategic Communications and Mr Raphael Oni as Special Assistant on Digital and Public Diplomacy.

According to the ministry, the two appointees bring decades of combined experience in journalism, public affairs, government communication and media management.
Elesho is a graduate of Delta State University, Abraka, and Kogi State University, Anyigba. He previously served as Chief Press Secretary and Director-General, Media Affairs, to two former Governors of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and Capt. Idris Wada.
Until his latest appointment, Elesho was the North Central Bureau Chief of The News/PM News.

Oni, described by the ministry as a specialist in diplomatic reporting, has more than 15 years’ experience spanning government communication, public diplomacy and international relations.

An award-winning photojournalist and diplomatic correspondent, he holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Abuja.

He has been the publisher of Diplomats Extra Magazine since 2013, a publication focused on diplomacy and international affairs and read by ministries, departments and agencies, embassies and other stakeholders.

Oni has also served two terms as Secretary-General of the Diplomatic Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DICAN), as well as Secretary-General of the NUJ Correspondents Chapel, Abuja.

The ministry said the appointments were aimed at improving its communication efforts and ensuring more effective engagement with the media and the public on Nigeria’s foreign policy and diplomatic activities.

Ebienfa urged stakeholders to support the new media team and foster a cordial working relationship with the appointees.

“Let us give them the necessary support and looks forward to cordial working relationship with them,” he said.

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The National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) have issued a three-day notice of strike to Nigeria’s domestic airlines, accusing the operators of blocking workers from unionising and non-remittance of ticket sales charges owed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
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‎In a statement issued at the weekend, the unions said they were escalating the issue after the warning they gave on August 4, when the unions announced a notice of picketing and declared they were prepared to strike “at any time without further notice.”

Describing the latest move as a gesture of restraint, the unions said they were giving the airlines a further three days to address their grievances before industrial action begins. In the statement, the unions accused airlines of two major infractions.

They alleged that airlines have made it impossible for members of staff to join unions freely, despite repeated efforts by the aviation unions to secure that right.

They said workers are too afraid to even express interest in union membership for fear of discrimination.

The unions also accused the airlines of withholding a 5% charge on ticket sales that is meant to fund the operations of aviation agencies. According to the statement, the non-remittance of these funds has stalled the implementation of collective bargaining agreements already negotiated on behalf of union members.

The statement read: “In relaxing the notice of picketing, dated 4th August 2026 by our unions, with a statement that we were ready to strike at anytime without further notice, we hereby magnanimously issued a 3-day Notice of Strike upon the defaulting domestic airlines principally for the following infractions:

‎”Making unfettered unionization of staff in their organisation impossible after several efforts by the aviation unions. Their workers dare not even express the intention to belong to unions of their choices.

‎”Non-remittance of the already collected, but withheld 5% ticket sales charge, which is the operational fund of the aviation agencies, thereby rendering our members negotiated collective bargaining agreements at the aviation agencies nugatory so far. This continues to breed disgruntled air transport workers; the implication of which is an accident in the waiting!

“We want unequivocal declarations through circulars and other direct means of communication to their staff that they are free to join unions of their choices without fear of victimisation.

We want an immediate remittance of the seized operational funds of the aviation agencies to allow for the implementation of the conditions of service of our members in the various aviation agencies.”