By Priscilla Campbell,
Minna
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Niger State has ended an intensive training programme for 100 local government staff in paint production.
This is part of its efforts to enhance workers’ capacity even after retirement.
The President, NULGE, Niger State chapter, Idrees Abdulkareem Lafene, made the disclosure while addressing journalists at the Abdulsalami Youth Centre, Minna.
He explained that the idea was to empower local government staff to acquire skills for a dependable source of livelihood after retirement, saying, “So that when they retire they will have a trade in hand and not depend squarely on pensions.
“You know, pensions are not forthcoming because the crisis in pension now you know, is much and if we don’t do anything about it, some of our people may be redundant. You know, most of the people are dying even before they see their pensions”.
Participants were trained in the production of Emulsion, Textcoat and oil brands of paint comprised of four LGA staff from each of the 25 local government areas of Niger State.
The trainees were given take-off grants to enable them purchase chemicals and other materials needed for paint production at the end of the training programme.
Idrees, while flagging off the second phase of the training of 350 women in the 25 local government areas, said that his administration was prepared to empower members of the union in various skills acquisition programmes.
The President of Millennium Africa Global Iniative, Marshall Okoro, expressed preparedness for the take-off of the second phase of the training in Cosmetology to empower youths in the state.