Seventy-five young people displaced from Maroko in 1990 now have an opportunity to turn their lives around as they are scheduled to commence in two weeks time a skills acquisition programme that is designed to equip them with building construction expertise.

The programme, which will be run by the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, is being coordinated by the Nigeria Social Housing Initiative under its Urban Spaces Innovation with support from the Dutch development agency, Intervolve, seeks to build the capacity of the target population to expand their skills, boost their economic and entrepreneurial capacity, encourage savings and facilitate the development of strong and participatory housing cooperatives.

Participants will be trained for three months in carpentry, bricklaying, electrical wiring, plumbing and iron welding, and will be awarded certificates of competency jointly signed by the Social and Economic Rights Action Centre, which founded USI, and Yabatech Consult.

Upon graduation, the participants are expected to help families evicted from the old Maroko to build new homes at cheaper costs than is obtainable from the open market, and utilise the skills learnt to better their lots.

A representative of Yabatech, Mr. Christopher Udoh, said that lecturers from the departments of Building and Engineering would supervise the programme, and gave an assurance that the participants would gain a lot despite the short duration.

A representative of the participants, Mr. Moruf Lawal, said that the programme was a golden opportunity for the youths to uplift their standard of living and empower them.

A member of the USI board, Mr. Kolawole Kayode, said that the programme would build on the foundation already laid by SERAC, and urged the participants to be serious with the training as technically gifted artisans would always be in demand.

A representative of Intervolve, Mr. Tjeerd Grimmius, said that the agency was ready to partner with others to change the face of the community, though this would require a lot of funding.

The Matron of the Maroko Evictees, Mrs. Rosaline Odimuko, urged the participants to utilise the opportunity provided by SERAC to better their lives and remain humble throughout the duration of the programme.