The Managing Director of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Alhaji Shettima Ali said the foundation had spent N275 million on training of 1,800 women and youths in 15 states in the North.

Ali made this known on Sunday in Katsina during the graduation ceremony of 120 women and youths that were trained on different skills.

He said the foundation selected 120 women and youths from 15 states for training in cosmetics making, vegetable oil procession, poultry and fish farming, ICT skills and fashion designing.

Ali said that the foundation would soon conduct the training in Borno, Yobe, Jigawa and Plateau.

The managing director disclosed that the foundation had introduced the training to improve the wellbeing of beneficiaries.

Ali said that the foundation would also assist the trainees to secure loans from different financial institutions to start their businesses.

Earlier, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State had commended the foundation for training beneficiaries in six different types of skills.

The governor, represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Mannir Yakubu, said the training came at the right time as the state was ready to invest in the area.

He said that the government had collected N2 billion loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to assist women and youths to fight poverty in the state.

The governor said women and youths were the backbone of every society as such they needed the assistance of government to be self-reliant.

“Katsina state government has started distributing loan forms to the citizens of the states at their various polling units.

“All youths and women have been advised to collect the forms from their wards to enable them secure the loans to fight poverty.”

In a remark, a former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mamman Nasir, said that the Sardauna of Sokoto Foundation had implemented a number of viable programmes in the 19 Northern states.

Nasir said that the foundation had given 20 students from Katsina State scholarship to study science and technology in institutions of high learning in the country.

He disclosed that 10 medical doctors from Katsina state were also sponsored by the foundation on the aspect of blast/trauma management and care. (NAN)

•Photo shows Sir Ahmadu Bello

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