Rotarian Ujeeze A Somtoo, a Youth Corper serving in Kaduna State, is empowering 35 youths in skills acquisition training.
As part of his Community Development Service (CDS), Somtoo is training 11 children, one adult, 16 youths as well as seven prisoners in the best Agriculture practice within Kaduna.
Speaking to the press after the final phase of the empowerment programme, he said he was passionate to help the needy and that is what inspired him, adding that he believes little things count
“As a corps member and in partial fulfilment of my NYSC programme, I engaged in three CDS including Almajiri empowerment project where I empowered 11 boys and 1 other adult in various skills acquisition and also responsible for their feeding within the training period.
“This I believe will help them to become better citizens and prepare them for the outside world after serving their prison terms especially for those that were not convicted for capital offence”, he said.
He added that his passion for Nigerian youths and children regardless of their tribe, religion and sex is what motivates him.
“Seeing a youth without any means of income is a concern to me. Also, seeing children begging in major and back streets touches me greatly when they can actually do something better to improve their standard of living and those around them.
“This is why with few sponsors I had, we were able to add value to some people’s life. So, that means when we come together to help these groups of people, crimes will reduce, economy will improve and Nigeria will be a better place for us all”
Somtoo, a Law graduate from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, hails from Azia in Anambra State and was deployed to Kaduna State.
After his 21-day orientation course, he was subsequently posted to a law firm known as Abdulahi Ibrahim & Co., Kaduna North Local Government Area of the State, for his one year mandatory service to Fatherland.
Somtoo is not the only Corper that sees helping people as a civil duty. In March, Olayemi Ajibola, posted to Oyun, Kwara State also renovated a dilapidated health centre.
He discovered the Health Centre was in a bad state with worn out roofing and unsanitary conditions for pregnant women and expectant mothers.
Projects like these shows that one of the objectives of the scheme, which is national integration, is still relevant among the youth of today.
