Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has said that the empowerment of youths is high on his administration’s agenda as their engagement will engender peace in the state.

A statement issued by the Government House Press Unit stated that Okowa disclosed this while inaugurating some projects executed by the Oshimili South Local Government Council.

The projects included the reconstructed Oshimili South Local Government Executive Council Complex, a skill acquisition centre and solar street lights.

The governor expressed satisfaction with the projects and noted that they were built with paucity of funds.

He praised the council Chair Uche Osadebe for his prudence and foresight in the management of the council and the area.

Okowa stated that his administration was doing a lot in skill acquisition because he believed that no amount of projects would bring peace to the communities if the youths and women were not gainfully engaged.

“I am excited with what I saw here because I know there is paucity of funds within the local government council.

“I am also glad that you are engaging our youths to ensure that more of them are able to use their brains to earn a living.

“The more youths we engage, the more skills they acquire and the more peace we are likely to have but more importantly the more productive youths we will have in the state,’’ the governor said.

He commended Asaba youths for their conduct during the #ENDSARS protests, especially in chasing away the hoodlums who tried to hijack the protests.

Okowa said that the state government would support the families of the two youths who lost their lives while defending Asaba from being vandalised by the hoodlums.

He pledged that his administration would construct the road leading to the council secretariat in 2021.

Earlier in his welcome address, Osadebe said that the council under his watch, provided employment for youths through its strategic revenue generation drive.

“We took hard decisions to cut costs and the outcome is the projects we are inaugurating today.

“My administration also embarked on the expansion of primary health care facilities in the local government, sustained routine monthly environmental sanitation, re-modeling of the council secretariat gate with solar security lights, among others,” Osadebe said. (NAN)