The Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, has stated that his administration’s programs and policies are aimed at giving possibilities for young people in the state and putting an end to the japa syndrome.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Enugu State Investment Roundtable, organized by the state government in Enugu on Friday, the governor stated that his administration wants to guarantee that people stay in the state and “rather japa their skills around the globe.
“A whole lot of these programmes and the discussions we are having about bringing in private sector investment, they are all targeted at benefitting our young people. We have a generation of skilful people in Enugu; I mean our literacy rate in Enugu is over 90 per cent.
“Again, through our policies we want to rubbish the japa syndrome. We want to ensure that our people stay here and japa their skills across the globe, what they are going to be moving around the globe will be their digital skills,” Mbah said.
He went on to say that while the world is moving at such a breakneck speed these days, “we also recognize that we need to ensure that our young people are prepared for the emerging future.”
“So, we understand that the skill set that they need to thrive in this emerging future is completely different from what was required some 20, 30 years ago.
“What that means is even in our social sector we are deliberate in terms of the skill set we expose this young people to.”
The governor described Friday’s event as one aimed at assuring the investing community that Enugu is truly the future investment destination, adding that the government wants to achieve investment closing during the diaspora and investment summit in the first quarter of next year.
“In our pipeline, we have an investment potential of $2 billion and we are expecting to have a closure of that figure by the first quarter of next year,” he said.
Mbah also stated that he identified insecurity as one of the key obstacles of the government’s efforts to attract investors, which guided his decision to address the issue head-on, adding that the state is now one of the safest in Nigeria for business.
