Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, has applauded Total Nigeria Plc for empowering 80 youths within their host community as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

el-Rufai who stated this during the presentation of starter packs to beneficiaries of the skill acquisition programme of the 2015 batch, reiterated his administration’s resolve to making Kaduna great again, stressing that service delivery to its citizens is a priority.

Represented by his adviser on Economic Matters, Alhaji Murtala Dabo, the governor described Total Nigeria Plc empowerment scheme as a very excellent one, urging them to keep the good work.

To the benefiting graduands, the governor urged them to make judicious use of what they have learnt during their training programme and also utilise the starter packs they have been given.

Earlier, the managing director of Total, Mr. Jean-Philippe Torress in his address said, “Our societal approach to CSR aims at building strong relationships with our stakeholders through structured and constructive dialogue, and addressing the identified needs from our shared perspectives.”

He said, the essence is to help better the understanding of the host communities expectations and where legitimate meet them, stressing that “capacity building provides more sustainable contributions to economic and social development of people and communities, than support to investments or running cost. It is on this premise and in line with our Group policy on support to local and socio-economic development, that Total Nigeria Plc deployed the Skills Acquisition Programme (SAP) in its host communities which includes Kaduna,” he said.

Mr Torres further disclosed that graduands of the programme passed screening and pre-selection process prior to their placements in certified training centres, adding that training materials and allowances are provided for them and their trainers to ensure that they are well equipped.