The National Association of President’s Nation­al Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Honours Awardees has concluded plans to train and empower 20,000 youths in skills acquisition training.

President of the association, Mr. Simeon Oladele, who made this known in Abuja, said the training, which will be carried out in partnership with the National Directorate on Employment (NDE), is a direct support to the Federal Government’s efforts to diversify the economy.

He said: “In line with the government commitment to diversify the economy and reduce youth dependence on non-existing white collar jobs, the association is organizing skills acquisition training and empowerment for 20,000 youths.

“The first phase of the train­ing is expected to kick-off on 9 November, 2016 with the training of Internally Dis­placed Persons in Wassa camp, FCT-Abuja.”

Oladele also called on members of the association, which he said are over 1000, to take advantage of this year’s national conference scheduled for 11 November to contribute their quotas in proffering solution to the many problems besetting the nation.

“Following the economic and social crisis that our dear country is grossly faced with, which is not only Nigerian problem but a global phenom­enon, we know that our fellow awardees who are competent professionals in their various fields of endeavours are capa­ble of diagnosing our nation’s surmountable challenges.

“Every state of the federa­tion is duly represented in the association, which gives us an unmistakable picture of the Nigerian problems and their solutions,” he said.