Commissioner Mefor Urges Anambra Communities to Embrace Obosi’s “One Household, Two Skills” Initiative

From Chinyere Ogbuagu, Anambra

The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, has commended the unique youth empowerment programme of the Obosi Community in Idemili North, tagged “One Household, Two Skills”, and agreed that the government’s “1 Youth, 2 Skills” needs to target families as well.

Dr Mefor called on the rest of Anambra’s 178 communities to replicate Obosi’s empowerment to complement government efforts in job creation.

The initiative was showcased during the Obosi Innovation Skills and Empowerment Programme (OBISEP), held at the Obosi Town Hall, this October.

Representing the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, the Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, lauded the Obosi community for its distinctive approach to empowerment that centres on families.

“Obosi has shown another example. Communities in Anambra are doing empowerment, but there is something different about the Obosi empowerment. This initiative is titled ‘One Household, Two Skills’.

It is reminiscent of the Igba Boi business startup system, which has ensured a break in generational poverty transfer in Igbo land, not just in Anambra State,” Mefor said.

He explained the potential impact of the programme on poverty and insecurity: “If every community in Anambra State produces skilled individuals – say 100 trained persons per community – then with 179 communities in the state, we could generate 179,000 skilled job opportunities in one year, and if sustained, in a few years, poverty will be eradicated in our state.

“Obosi has already trained 350 people. If other communities adopt the model and train 100 persons each year for the next five years, the multiplier effect could drastically reduce, if not eliminate, poverty.”

The commissioner emphasised that the initiative’s distinctive feature is its household-focused approach. “This is not a broad, general empowerment programme; it targets families. If sustained, Obosi may have introduced a formula to eradicate poverty within all households, and if the same model is replicated across Anambra, the positive impact could be felt in the coming years. There is a correlation between poverty and crime; address poverty, and crime is addressed also.”

The convener of the programme, Hon. Chisom Onugha, expressed gratitude to all participants and supporters and urged graduates to mentor younger generations as they enter the workforce with high expectations and the capacity to transfer skills to the next generation. He also credited Governor Soludo for introducing the “One Youth, Two Skills” platform, which Obosi embraced to establish the project.

Other distinguished attendees at the event included Igwe Chinedum Ezeiweka III of Obosi (represented); Bar. Chimezue Obi, President General of Obosi; Mrs Augusta Obaliem, Woman Leader, Obosi Progressive Union; Lady Ijeoma Anyalebechi, Adult and Non-Formal Education Unit Head; and Lady Ebere Ononihu, Director, Adult and Non-Formal Education, among others.

The programme underscores a strategic shift in youth empowerment in Anambra, focusing on family-based skill development as a means of reducing poverty and, by extension, insecurity across the state.