Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom has sponsored 100 youths from the 31 local government areas of the state to the 2015 youth pilgrimage.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Celestine Ogugua, the Head of Media, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC), and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Monday.

Udom, according to the statement, charged the youths to explore the possibility of skill acquisition and to uphold high ethical standard in the holy land.
It said that the governor advised the youths to avail themselves of the various opportunities available, adding that their conduct, would determine whether other youths would be sponsored to participate in subsequent trainings offered by the Israeli Government.

“As future leaders of the state, it became imperative for the youths to be exposed to other knowledge relevant to technological advancement in the global market,’’ the statement quoted Udom as saying.
The statement further said that the governor disclosed that the Federal Government Training programmes for youths on power generation, distribution and transmission were under way.

It said that Mr. John-Kennedy Okpara, the NCPC Executive Secretary, commended the governor for laying a solid foundation for the youths by giving them the opportunity.
Opara said that knowledge transfer was imperative in the present era of modern technology, where the world had become a global family.

He urged the pilgrims to justify the huge investment on them by utilising the knowledge gained to promote the economic well-being of the state.
He also charged other pilgrims on good conduct and to pray for themselves and the country while in the holy land.
NCPC boss further assured the pilgrims that the commission’s officials as well as officials of the Nigerian embassy in Israel would facilitate and provide the needed services and assistance to them.

“The beauty of the family pilgrimage is that it accommodates families, both young and old and gives them the opportunity to pray together in the holy land and it is fully self-sponsored,’’ he said.