BENDE, ABIA — Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and member representing Bende Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has flagged off a skills acquisition programme for 150 youths from Bende, urging the beneficiaries to transform the knowledge acquired into sustainable livelihoods, businesses and opportunities for others.
The initiative is another intervention focused on human-capital development in Bende, with emphasis on equipping young people with practical skills that can enable them to become economically productive and less dependent on conventional employment.
Speaking at the commencement of the training, Kalu urged the beneficiaries to take the programme seriously and see the opportunity as a foundation for building their future.
He emphasised that the true value of empowerment is not simply in what a beneficiary receives, but in what that beneficiary eventually becomes capable of achieving with the opportunity.
Kalu: Build With the Knowledge You Acquire
The Deputy Speaker encouraged the 150 Bende youths to approach the training with discipline, commitment and a determination to acquire skills that can translate into income and enterprise.
He urged them not to treat the programme as another government intervention that ends when the training ceremony is over.
Rather, he encouraged them to use the knowledge gained to establish businesses, secure employment, provide services and potentially create jobs for other young people.
For Bende, where many young people are seeking opportunities to build sustainable careers, the emphasis on practical skills represents an important dimension of constituency development.
From Empowerment to Economic Independence
The initiative also reinforces a broader argument about what sustainable empowerment should look like.
Cash assistance can provide temporary relief, but skills can potentially provide a person with an income-generating capacity that lasts for years.
A young person who acquires a marketable skill can use it to work for an employer, establish a business, train others and gradually build an independent source of income.
That is the philosophy behind several of Kalu’s youth-focused interventions.
His legislative agenda has previously identified youth empowerment, skills acquisition, vocational training, employment opportunities and mentorship as areas requiring attention in Bende.
Bende Youths at the Centre
The training is particularly significant because it is targeted directly at young people from Bende Federal Constituency, which Kalu represents in the House of Representatives.
Kalu has represented Bende in the National Assembly since 2019 and currently serves as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
His official constituency and development platforms have also highlighted initiatives aimed at equipping Bende youths with digital and vocational skills.
The Bende Digital Empowerment Programme, for instance, lists areas including digital literacy, graphics design, web development, digital marketing and freelancing among the skills being promoted for young people in the constituency.
Why Skills Matter
For many young Nigerians, the biggest challenge is not necessarily a lack of willingness to work but limited access to practical training, start-up capital, mentorship and networks capable of connecting skills to opportunities.
Skills acquisition can help bridge part of that gap.
A trained artisan can provide services within the community. A digitally trained young person can work remotely for clients outside Bende. A trained entrepreneur can create a small business and employ others.
The cumulative effect can be much larger than the original intervention.
This is why programmes of this nature are increasingly being viewed as investments in human capital rather than simply political empowerment exercises.
The Real Test Comes After Training
However, the success of the initiative will ultimately be measured beyond the training venue.
The important questions will be what happens after the 150 youths complete the programme.
Will they receive the tools or support required to put their newly acquired skills into practice?
How many businesses will emerge?
How many beneficiaries will secure employment?
How many additional people will eventually be trained or employed by the beneficiaries?
Those outcomes will determine whether the programme becomes a short-term intervention or develops into a sustainable economic empowerment model.
A Different Kind of Constituency Investment
For Bende, the emphasis on skills development adds another layer to the conversation about constituency representation.
Infrastructure remains important, but physical projects alone cannot guarantee economic prosperity.
Roads, schools, electricity and other infrastructure create an environment for development, while educated, trained and economically empowered citizens provide the human capital required to take advantage of that environment.
That is why investments in Bende’s young population could have effects extending far beyond the immediate beneficiaries.
A young person who acquires a viable skill today could become an employer tomorrow.
Kalu’s Message to the Beneficiaries
The message from the Deputy Speaker was therefore straightforward: learn, apply and build.
The 150 Bende youths now have an opportunity to acquire knowledge that can potentially become a source of income and independence.
The responsibility, however, does not end with the government or programme organisers.
It rests equally with the beneficiaries to take the training seriously, practise what they learn and turn their new skills into something productive.
As Kalu continues to push his human-capital development agenda in Bende, the expectation is that today’s trainees will not simply graduate with certificates.
They should graduate with the confidence, competence and determination to build something of their own.
And if that happens, the impact of the programme will extend far beyond the 150 youths who entered the training.
It will be measured in businesses established, jobs created, families supported and young Bende people who discover that they can build their future with their own hands.
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