On a faithful afternoon sometime November last year 2018, I met my luck in a bet shop_Hey! I didn’t win a bet or a jackpot as you are thinking. I’m talking about me been giving a ticket into learning a skill. By “a ticket”, I meant that I was handed over a skill acquisition form tagged “Empower Delta”. It is comical to remark that many Deltans misunderstood the ideology behind Empower Delta because of the word “Empower”. This is seen upon recall to the Flag-off Ceremony held on the 29th day of January 2019 at Manuex Event Center, Jakpa road, Warri which pulled unexpected thousands of crowd in attendance thinking it was a financial empowerment program to benefit from. Ha! Warri too like Awoof!
A young graduate and a fresh applicant with little or no experience to fit into the capitalist ever competitive work force/market. With the realization of this coupled with the well reasoned fact as a result of the need for developmental advancement in a country such as Nigeria, that my academic certificates_no matter the Class of degree_ is useless if not backed up with needed skills. This assertion above is most correct if it’s not a professional academic discipline/field. Fully understanding the above reality, I, in a full fleshed determination, sought after learning a skill(s) for myself in order to do myself a favour. Empower Delta was that opportunity for me to grab.
Empower Delta is actually a skill acquisition program directly managed by an NGO but secondarily sponsored by the Delta State government. These skills include Driving, Makeup, Hair styling/Barbing, Gele tying, Catering and Hospitality, Event Planning, Shoe Making, Bead Making, Soap and Detergent Making, Tailoring, Ankara Designs, Fish, Poultry and Snail Farming, Forex Trading, Blogging/Digital Marketing etc.
Well, considering my passion for marketing as an Affiliate Marketer, I opted for learning the skills to become a blogger as well as a digital marketer with the opportunity provided through Empower Delta. My Facilitator, Mr. Azuike Collins has been tremendous and patient enough to impact the needed knowledge in that field to me and my colleagues.
Just like a child who can not leave his father’s roof without first getting his/her blessings from the father, so also is Empower Delta. Empower Delta issues out Grants, Loans and Starter Packs(kits) for outstanding students to excel with in their future endeavors through what they have learnt. My journey through Empower Delta thus far has been very educational and memorable reaching a closing/graduation ceremony but not after a business class to incure in us the ability to manage our acquired skills in terms of earning a living from it.
Hopefully, if there is another edition of Empower Delta, I will be amongst the Icons of Motivation to other Deltans who are learning same skills as mine or another, in Empower Delta.
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