The Bayelsa Government Tuesday presented start-up packs and empowerment items to 366 pioneer beneficiaries of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) training in the state.

In a speech at the graduation of the trainees in Yenagoa, Gov. Douye Diri commeded them for the successful completion of the training.

Diri said that the programme was designed to make them prosperous in life, in line with his administration’s agenda.

He said that his administration placed priority on human capital development and will utilise available resources to sustain similar empowerment programmes.

Diri said that the state was gradually migrating “from the tag of a civil service state to one with skilled individuals and entrepreneurs”.

He charged the beneficiaries to put the skills acquired into profitable use to better their lives.

According to him, the days of insisting on white-collar jobs are over.

The governor also said that government expected them not just to be self-employed but employers of labour in order positively impact those around them and the state economy.

He said his administration was building technical colleges in the eight local government areas of the state to empower the youths with vocational skills.

Diri appealed to the Federal Government to release its counterpart funds to enable the state government train and empower more people to be self-reliant.

He said: “We launched this programme with 366 persons and today we are here with the same number of persons.

“From the report available, you all performed well.

“This is a lifetime opportunity.

Do not take this lightly as you have to affect people around you.

“We can build all the roads but if we do not build the human capacity, the success would not be complete.

Diri said that the state decided to start the training with what it had, rather than wait for the Federal Government.

“I call on the youths to shun crime and criminality.

“The days of white-collar jobs are over and there is a paradigm shift.

“You have showed the world that Bayelsa youths are not lazy,” he said.

In a remark, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs and Focal Person, Mr Ebiware Wariowei, described the training as successful.

Wariowei said that the programme was put together in accordance with the government’s mantra of prosperity.

He said that all the trainees had received their start-up packs and expressed optimism that they would impact positively on the state economy.