Benjamin Omoike I Friday, September 21, 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria – The gubernatorial candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Lagos State, Mr Owolabi Salis, has said that over 46,000 students were trained in various skills in the state under his empowerment programme. Salis made the disclosure at the Graduation of the Lagos Youth Skill Acquisition Training and Employment Programmme on Thursday in Surulere Local Government Area of the state.
Salis said that the programme had 29 skills acquisition centres in almost all the Local Government Areas of the state. He noted that the centres had so far trained and graduated youths in the last five years from different skills acquisitions such as bag and shoe making, fashion designing, make-up, video production and soap making among others.
“We have 29 centres in the state and it has not been easy financing all these centres. However, my joy as a parent is to see these youths graduating to acquire skills in order to be financially independent. Apart from bag making, shoe making and fashion designing, we have a training on building and road construction but it is a pity that many youth are shying away from the skill. At the moment, we have trained 25 students, while four of them have already secured contracts at the Lekki-Epe area,” he said.
Salis noted that the programme was not politically motivated because the students that had been trained so far were not selected based on party affiliation but was initiated to give back to the society, especially the youth. He said the programme had nothing to do with politics because he had been into the youth empowerment before he joined politics some years back.
“I initially started in Shomolu in Lagos which I believe I can sustain with 3,000 dollars in a month but before I know it, we recorded success stories from the students that were trained.
“Shomolu is now graduating its third batch, Ajeromi Ifelodun is also graduating its third batch, Amuwo Odofin is doing its second batch at the moment,” Salis said.
He noted that the Ikotun centre would be graduating 700 students, while 500 students would be graduating at Imota in Ikorodu on Saturday.Salis therefore, advised Nigerians to patronise made in Nigeria goods because it would promote excellence and improve on our economy. On his part, the Coordinator of the programme, Mrs Abiola Afolabi, said the centre had trained and would be graduating 320 students from different skills acquisitions at the Surulere centre.
She said the centre trained them on catering, adire making, makeup, hairdressing, shoe making and soap making, just to mention a few.Afolabi, while presenting certificates to the 320 graduands, said the programme would develop the beneficiaries to become entrepreneurs and financially independent on their own.
“Most of the graduating students have now become trainers and we have now trained people that will become entrepreneurs in Surulere and with God on our side, this programme will be a continuous one in Surulere. We have a low turnout of students from Surulere because the area is elitist, hence, it as very difficult for us to get them trained.It was not an easy thing to convince parent for their children to partake from the three months training programme,” he said.
Afolabi noted that there were some centres where it empowered 800 youths from areas such as Alimosho, Mushin, Badagry and Epe.The coordinator urged the beneficiaries to make use of the skills they had acquired to make money for themselves.
Afolabi said some of the beneficiaries had started making money from the skills they had learnt, adding that they could also start small for those that do not have enough capital to start big. She thanked Salis for financing the tutors, offering other logistics support and ensuring the success of the empowerment programmes. The coordinator said the gubernatorial candidate believed that once he empowered people, then he had already empowered the nation.
