Otti Presents N85m, 850 Laptops To Graduating Students

Abia State governor, Dr Alex Otti, has presented N100,000 and a laptop to each of 850 graduating students of Cohort 3 of the State TechRise Information Communication Technology (ICT) skills development programme.

Otti presented them the students graduation in Umuahia, the state capital, and approved automatic employment for the best 19 into the state civil service.

He said the decision to employ them was part of his administration’s strategy to retain the best talents produced by the programme and deploy their skills to improve public service delivery.

“A central part of our value multiplication outlook is to retain the best hands from each cohort and have them contribute directly in improving social service delivery through the institutions of government.”

While congratulating and challenging them to turn the skills into viable businesses and innovations, the governor warned them against using the  items for criminal activities.

In his remarks, the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Uzor Nwachukwu, said the programme had transformed 2,210 youths drawn from the state and others into architects of the digital future.

‎His words: “Over the past one year and half, this programme has produced 2,210 youths in three cohorts, both indigenes and non-indigenes from other states resident in the state without discrimination.”

‎Contributing, the chief executive officer of LearnFactory and TechRise coordinator, Chibueze Ukaegbu, said the programme had trained 2,500 civil servants in computer skills and resolved to upgrade the number to 5,000.

‎Responding on behalf of the graduands, Victor Onuoha thanked the governor for the training, noting that the programme had empowered them to face the future with courage.