The wife of the President, Hajiya Aisha Buhari on Sunday in Ilorin launched a two-week skill acquisition empowerment programme for 1,000 women and youth selected across Kwara State.

Mrs Buhari said that the programme was part of her pet project, "Future Assured Programme", a social intervention aimed at ameliorating poverty among youths and women.

She said that series of social programmes initiated by the present administration were aimed at transforming the lives of youth and womenfolk in particular, who formed a great chunk of the unemployed in the country.

The President’s wife expressed concern over the myriad of social problems plaguing the country, which she said had turned substantial part of active and agile youths to social miscreants.

She admonished the beneficiaries to be active participants in the exercise, adding that at the end of the programme an examination would be conducted.

Mrs Buhari said that those who scored the approved mark of attendance and pass mark would be empowered with working tools and kits for various trades.

She listed the skill acquisition programmes to include tailoring, catering, soap making, computer training and electrical works.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed said the state government would not relent in ensuring that women and youths in the state were employed.

The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe pledged to complement the Federal Government's efforts at making people self reliant and productive in the state.

Malam Zakariyau Babatunde, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Empowerment, commended Mrs Buhari for her initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty.

He advised the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the empowerment skills as it would go a long way in solving the problem of unemployment among youths and women in the state. (NAN)