The Katsina State Government-owned vocational training centre, Katsina Youth Craft Village, has honoured five prominent individuals who played significant roles in its establishment, including the publisher of Katsina Times newspapers, Muhammad Danjuma.
Established in 2009, the centre has trained thousands of young people in various vocational skills and provided them with start-up equipment to enable them to become self-reliant across Katsina State.
The award ceremony took place during the graduation of 1,640 trainees and the distribution of vocational equipment worth millions of naira on Tuesday, October 24.
Among the dignitaries who attended the event was former Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema, under whose administration the centre was established.
Governor Dikko Umar Radda, PhD, and former Governor Shema jointly presented certificates of recognition to Danjuma and the other award recipients.
Earlier, the late Alhaji MD Yusuf had sponsored Muhammad Danjuma on a study tour of some Southern African countries to examine the strategies they adopted to rebuild the lives of their youths after the struggle for independence.
During the visit, Danjuma observed how governments in those countries established various vocational training centres, as well as rehabilitation facilities designed to reform and redirect young people involved in drug abuse.
Upon his return, Danjuma produced investigative reports on his findings, which provided the Federal Government and some state governments with insights into adopting similar initiatives.
Danjuma is also the chairman of Katsina Vocational Training Centre, a privately owned vocational institution established by the late Alhaji MD Yusuf in 2000.
The centre has trained thousands of young people in Katsina and served as a model for other vocational training institutions across Nigeria.
Speaking at the centre’s graduation ceremony in 2001, the late MD Yusuf expressed his aspiration for the institution, saying: “Our hope is that this centre will become a model for the entire country.”
That vision has since recorded significant progress, with the institution contributing to the promotion of vocational education and self-reliance among young people.
Similarly, Katsina Youth Craft Village has witnessed further development under the administration of Governor Dikko Umar Radda, particularly through the provision of modern vocational equipment.
The initiative has strengthened the centre’s capacity to train young people and equip them with practical skills to improve their livelihoods and become economically self-reliant.
