Benjamin Omoike l Friday, May 03, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Deputy Governor of Lagos state, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule, has challenged graduands of the Lagos state Government Technical Colleges to take Nigeria to the league of producer nations, so as to enable her to be self reliant and to shed the toga of a consumer nation.
Adebule gave the charge as special guest of honour at Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Alausa, Ikeja; during the 2017-2018 graduation ceremony and special awards of the Lagos state government Technical Colleges, organised by the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, LASTVEB.
According to her, “I congratulate all the graduands on your academic achievements because you are a great asset and represent the future of our dear state and country. You have been trained and fully equipped with adequate employability skills, exposed to modern equipment and tools not only to seek paid employment but to also be self-employed.
“Create jobs, invent and produce new products and services that will satisfy the demands of the open market and possibly the entire world. I challenge you, individually and collectively, to take Nigeria to the league of producer nations to enable her be self reliant so that we can shed the toga of consumer nation. The future belongs to you and this is the time to take your destiny in your hands.”
The Deputy Governor admonished the young graduands to look around and see where there is a gap to fill, a monopoly to break and ultimately break new grounds. She advised them to invent simple machines and tools that are efficient, effective and can reduce waste in materials and man hour.
According to her, the graduation ceremony was quite remarkable in the sense that an unprecedented number of graduands, 1,608, in total comprising 952 in Engineering trades, 302 in Construction trades, 303 in Miscellaneous, 21 in Business trades and 30 in others, were awarded the Federal Craft Training Certificate, National Technical Certificate and National Business Certificate.
She congratulated the graduands, their parents and guardians. Also, she applauded the efforts of the management of LASTVEB, for their continued unflinching role in ensuring that Lagos is, according to her, among the league of Technical College states, and for the increase in students’ enrolment; saying that the project was indeed yielding positive dividends.
Adebule equally added that governor Akinwunmi Ambode has approved the creation of three additional Technical and Vocational Colleges in Ibeju-Lekki, Badagry and Alimosho. She stressed that the contract had been signed, and that the project will soon roll off.
In her remarks, Executive Secretary, LASTVEB, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogbo, said the graduands were a source of pride to the state. She said after three years of hard work, the day marked a fulfilment and a realisation of dreams, as the most important event in a student’s life is their graduation day.
Erogbogbo thanked the Governor and the Deputy Governor for their support. She added that the graduands had been thoroughly equipped to be solutions in their generation. She was of the opinion that the skills endowed upon them would help curb the many vices in the society today. In conclusion, she thanked all the stakeholders, who have in one way or the other, contributed to the success story of the graduands.
Also, the guest speaker at the occasion, former Senior Special Assistant to state of Osun Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, TVE, Dr. (Mrs.) Moromoke Raji, was of the belief that the students would do the state proud in the field of Technical and Vocational enterprise. She called for team spirit in business solutions among them, charged them to be critical thinkers, to encourage diversification, she asked them to be customer friendly, to improve their communication skills and generally, to be problem solvers.
She asked the state government to engage the graduands in all state projects, in construction and infrastructure development, and the likes. Raji stressed the need to make funds available to them in terms of financial empowerment. She said this could be in terms of loans to start their various businesses and investment.
The guest speaker stated that gone were the days when Technical and Vocational studies was perceived as an escape route for children who were not good enough academically. She said in Europe and Asia, where huge investment had been made in that direction, the massive benefits were there to be seen today. She therefore asked for a change of perception.
She asked the government to develop a policy framework to harmonise Technical and Vocational studies in Nigeria, and called for collaboration among technical Colleges in order to create synergy among government, Industries and Mono-technics.
In proffering solutions to perception change, she was of the standpoint that opportunities should be given to students of these colleges to go on excursions to industries, that teachers should be retrained and resourced continually with latest skills to compete internationally. She added that to buttress her point, Osun state was investing N6 billion to enhance Technical Colleges.
