Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has approved the sponsorship of 200 less privileged Rivers youths to Israel for vocational training.

The  governor  also  announced  that  despite  dwindling  resources, the state government  will continue  to  sponsor  pilgrims  to Jerusalem as Rivers State is totally  a Christian State.

Speaking  at the Launch of the ‘Win A Trip to Israel,  WATTI,  Promo organised by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, NCPC, on Friday , Governor Wike  said that the  youths will be trained  to  acquire  skills  to be self-reliant.

He said: “200 youths will go for  vocational  training  and skills  acquisition in Israel.  The  training  programme  will help the youths to acquire relevant skills for self sustenance”.

On the “Win A Trip to Israel ” Promo, the governor  announced that the state government  will  purchase  150 lottery  tickets for each of the 319 wards of the state at N23million.

He said  that  the  state government  tickets will only be distributed  to  the  less privileged,  noting that privileged  Rivers people should  sponsor others.

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of  NCPC, John Kennedy Opara said the WATTI promo  is aimed at assisting less privileged  to  perform  the holy pilgrimage.

He said that pilgrimage is a tool for moral and spiritual rebirth.

Highpoint  of the occasion  was the flag off of WATTI  Promo  by the governor with the first  set of  winners emerging.