YOUTH TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME (YTP)

The Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) of the Commission is a youth empowerment initiative aimed at taking about 5000 youths off the streets to become self-sufficient and employers of labour. The youths selected from the Six N-HYPPADEC pioneer states of Benue, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Niger and Plateau, were trained in their chosen trade areas out of the Twenty-Eight trades made available for them to choose and be trained by the Commission. While some spent Three Months on the training, others spent as long as Six Months, and the Commission was paying them stipends as transport allowance throughout the period of the training. It is important to note that, the programme was initially in collaboration with the New Approach, an NGO that persuaded the Commission to jack up the number of participants from the initial 1000 intended by the Commission to staggering 5000 for an emerging Commission like N-HYPPADEC, with a promise to provide starter-packs to the youths at the end of their training. However, few steps into the programme, the NGO could not access its funding and therefore fell out of partnership, leaving N-HYPPADEC to embark on a rescue mission despite the heavy financial burden of the programme. The programme was however executed meticulously with high sense of transparency and accountability carrying all relevant stakeholders along. The Commission also registered all the verified beneficiaries with the Corporate Affairs Commission to enable them access grants and other facilities from relevant agencies. In Niger state, 1,615 youths benefitted from the programme, Kebbi has about 1,200, Kwara 800, Benue 689, Plateau 365 while Kogi has little above 700.  For the records, this well-thought-out youth empowerment initiative is aimed at bringing the desired empowerment, economic self-reliance and sustainability to the youths.

These youths were not only trained in their chosen skills but, were also trained in financial literacy and management skills in addition to N-HYPPADEC sponsored registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to enable them access grants and other incentives from local and international financial institutions.

This informed the position of His Royal Highness, Ohiegba of Mozum Kingdom in Kogi State, Bukar Khalid who praised N-HYPADDEC under the leadership of Sadiq Yelwa for engaging the youths and bringing development to his community and others for the good of all and sundry.  Relatedly, the Kogi State Chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Benjamin Jeremiah, also commended N-HYPADDEC leadership for their proactiveness in bringing wholesome development to the host communities.

Beneficiaries of these intervention were presented with their starter packs by the Commission through their state Governors who lauded the initiative as first of its kind with a commitment to continue to advocate for more funding and support for the Commission to continue to deliver on its mandate.