The Honourable Minister , Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, SENATOR (DR) GODSWILL AKPABIO, CON has described the nomenclature of the Skill Acquisition Centres (SAC) at Nkot – Nakanda in Calabar, Cross Rivers State and Mkpanak -IBENO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA , Akwa lbom as inaccurate , after inspecting both Centers respectively last Friday and Saturday as part of the monitoring and evaluation of some projects of the Ministry in six(6) Niger Delta States of the region in the phase 1 monitoring exercise.
The Minister noted that with the enormous facilities at Nkot -Nakanda Centre, such as ampi theatres, Clinic, training studious, lawn tennis court, football pitch, good tarred road network, lodging for trainees and staff quarters with 3 ( three)450 KVA generating plants available to power the centre in the absence of electricity from the National grid, the Center in Calabar qualifies as a mini polytechnic where Certificates/Degree courses on Tourism and Hospitality can be obtained.
Also , SENATOR AKPABIO said the SAC at lbeno ,Akwa lbom can be upgraded to an Oil and Gas institute due to its location.
He said courses in Under water welding can be under taken at the center because of the Olympic size swimming pool constructed at the site.
He said this will save a lot of foreign exchange spent by those going to South Africa to train on the Underwater welding programme.
Other related courses /skills on oil and gas can also be acquired at this SAC.
Other facilities at lbeno SAC are a 250 bed hostels for male and female respectively. Staff quarters, Clinic, library , Classrooms for learning purposes, pipe-borne water and a good road network.
OBONG AKPABIO however recommended that the SAC should be renamed after PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI because he believes in the rural community.
AKPABIO commended the brain behind the SAC projects but insisted that the SAC name is inappropriate.
He explained that for budgetary purpose, the name underscores the Ministry budget for the project.
The Minister said the Ministry must let those in charge of budgeting know that the SAC is an institute where both certificates /degree courses will run concurrently as well as skill acquisition training.
He stressed that the Center can be commercially viable based on the different training programmes that will be offered when the institutes take off.
Adding that maintaining the original name of SAC will reduce the amount appropriated for the completion of the centers.
Earlier at the SAC site at Mkpanak-lbeno, one of the Community leaders , ENGINEER WILLIAM MKPA informed the Minister that the project began when AKPABIO was the Governor of the State and it was not a coincidence that he will be the one to complete it.
He suggested that the Center should be named after the Minister because of his love for education.
ENGINEER WILLIAMS MKPA also requested embankment around the site for drainage purposes before the rain begins.
MKPA reiterated his belief that with AKPABIO at the helms of Affairs at the Ministry, the project will come to fruition in earnest with PRESIDENT BUHARI coming to lbeno for the Commissioning.
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