The Nation Newspaper

Tag: empowerment

  • APC chieftain unfolds empowerment for Ekiti farmers

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ekiti State, Prince Tayo Adebiyi, has identified investment in agriculture as the way out of hunger and unemployment.

    Adebiyi spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, while inaugurating a committee to give empowerment to farmers in the state through his foundation, PAT Royal Foundation.

    He explained that he has concluded consultations with relevant stakeholders on the beneficiaries of the empowerment.

    Adebiyi said the scheme was aimed at enhancing farmers’ productivity and boosting food security.

    A director at PAT Royal Foundation, Otunba Adeleye Akintola, said the scheme was timely and hailed Adebiyi for the initiative.

     

  • Spotlight on skills training, empowerment

    Spotlight on skills training, empowerment

    Title: Handbook of skill acquisition training and empowerment programmes
    Reviewer: Sunday Onyewonsa
    Author: Dr. Benjamin Onoriode Irikefe
    Publisher: International Centre for Sustainable Development
    Pages: 824

    Handbook of Skill Acquisition Training and Empowerment Programmes  is one of the first holistic books ever published on skill acquisition and empowerment worldwide. Most works on bookstands across the globe on skill acquisition are vocation-based.

    This 824-page book is structured into five parts that lucidly exposes the “quadrant of skill acquisition” and empowerment concepts. Part one covers skill acquisition and its associated foundational concepts. It comprises of two chapters that provide a practical background to the quadrant.

    Part two covers entrepreneurship and soft skills for business success. This part has two chapters that respectively covers entrepreneurship development and soft and life skills for personal and business success from author’s field experience angle.

    Part three covers critical considerations which are associated with successful training execution. These include training actualisation framework, starter packs and associated concepts, post training mentorship and management of unusual training situations; without which skill acquisition and empowerment programmes may not yield positive results.

    Part four tackles the reintegration and empowerment of sub-state groups such as ex-militants, Civilian (JTF) Joint Task Force Members and Repentant Nigerian Ex-Boko Haram Operatives.

    Part five, which is the concluding part of the book, talked about the consideration of critical success entities, proposed interventions from Skill Acquisition to Post Training Empowerment through institutional collaborations.

    The book is a product of over 25 years of the author’s involvement in training of ex-militant and non-militant youths and persons; amnesty programme activities; and general skill acquisition training and mentoring programmes. Practical demonstration of concepts which gives a vivid account of the author’s experiences and activities are the unique features of the book. The recommendations therein are capable of solving numerous societal problems and stand as reference material for academic pursuits.

    The book elucidates the following key elements of skill acquisition training and empowerment programmes, among others:

    A holistic skill acquisition training and empowerment programme should comprise of four components namely: Vocation specific training; soft and life skills training; entrepreneurship development training; and Post-training empowerment. This is what the author has enunciated as the “Quadrant of skill acquisition”.

    Starter Packs for beneficiaries of skill acquisition training programmes should be provided and made available to trainees before they exit their trainings and specific training in the usage and application of the Starter Packs should be taught to them as well.

    Vocational and technical education should be taught alongside and within conventional academic curriculums so that graduates can be equipped with vocation specific trades with which they can eke out a living, after graduation.

    Graduates Enlistment Programmes should be undertaken to help graduates of tertiary institutions unlock their creative and vocational potentials so that they can be involved in vocation specific trades or MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) that can help them eke out a living.

    Operationalisation and reporting templates are needed for effective and successful training programmes (over 100 templates are provided in this book).

    Continuous provisions are needed to re-integrate and empower ex-militants, civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) members and deradicalised repentant ex-Boko Haram operatives to enable them lead self-reliant, productive and wholesome livelihoods.

    Critical success entities must consolidate their interventions from skill acquisition up to post-training empowerment through institutional collaborations to lift MSMEs and artisanal training outfits and artisans.

    Trainers’ qualities of being proactive, accommodating and passionate when managing trainees and also avoid monetisation of training programmes should be their target.

    Provision of skill acquisition trainings is one of the time-honoured  programmes that can be effective in combating global insecurity, poverty and to prevent destabilisation of the international system.

    The above features are vividly and practically explained to equip trainees, trainers, mentors, mentees, and other stakeholders who wish to venture into skill acquisition training and empowerment programmes.

    It is, however, a good resource and tool for the nation and the world at large, especially in this critical economic period if the prescriptions are adopted by the relevant authorities.

     

  • NGO for women’s, girls’ empowerment unveiled

    NGO for women’s, girls’ empowerment unveiled

    As a fall-out of global events commemorating the ‘International Women’s Day’, indigent women and girls in Nigeria now have a cause to smile. A new non-governmental organisation (NGO) has been established to ameliorate their sufferings.

    The new non-governmental organisation known as Save Our Women and Girls Foundation (SOW & G) is the brainchild of writer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Ambassador Unyime- Ivy King, a volunteer for the United Nations.

    The unveiling of the organisation took place on March 10 at Oakwood Park Hotels, Lekki Lagos and attracted numerous people from various spheres of life.

    The event, organised by her media and communication consultancy company, HTT Communications also marked the IWD with the theme “I Am the Change”, derived from the IWD’s global theme of “e Bold for Change”.

    For many of the participants, it was an occasion when they came face-to-face with the reality of the current mass suffering in the country, especially among women and girls in impoverished communities. It was a time to be inspired for action.

    Husband of the organiser, Mr. Ubon King, a businessman/motivational speaker and chairman of Protection Plus Services Limited, was also present to give support for his wife and encourage the women folk to keep dreaming and accomplishing, and lending helping hands to one another.

    For Mrs. Unyime-Ivy, SOW & G was borne out of the need to serve as a structural support for work she has been doing informally for many years.

    According to her, it is a not-for-profit organisation, which was incorporated late last year and is focused on creating social developmental awareness on issues that concern women and girls. It will focus on training, mentoring, educating and building the capacity of women and girls in Nigeria and also raising funds to support credible NGOs that are into gender advocacy, by deploying the method of crowd-funding and strategic partnerships, with a team of respectable men and women to oversee its activities.

    Last year, over a 100 women received two-week training in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, via a project tagged Women Empowerment Skills Training (WEST). It was borne out of her belief that individuals must be the change they hope to see in our society. The Women and girls were empowered with soft skills in different areas such as catering, ankara bags/ankara accessories, soap making/house cleaning products, makeup/gele, and jewellery making.

    As a result of the success of the pilot event, a lot of women and young girls were able to set up their own cottage businesses, which are still running today. Second and third editions of Project WEST are being planned for this year.

  • Farmers commend Obaseki’s wife for empowerment

    The Edo chapter of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has commended wife of Governor Godwin Obaseki, Betsy, for empowering women through Agriculture Initiative.
    The initiative, they said, would boost food production in the country.
    The state chairman of AFAN, Chief Emmanuel Odigie gave this commendation during an interview with newsmen in Benin last week.
    Edo Women for Agriculture Initiative was recently launched by Mrs. Obaseki in collaboration with the Bank of Industry, Investment Trust Company (BOI-ITC) to engage women in agribusiness ventures.
    The initiative started with the training of 500 widows on poultry production who were empowered with 20,000 chicks and feeds to start production.
    Odigie said the initiative was a welcome development as the role of women in agriculture production could not be overemphasised.
    He said that the initiative would not only serve as empowerment for the women but also make them employers of labour.
    ”The poultry initiative is laudable as the demand for poultry products such as eggs and chicken in the country is very high.
    “If the producers are able to remain in business, it will lead to job creation for more peoples who will be involved in the marketing and sales of the poultry products.
    ”It will also open new markets for poultry products in the state and discourage quest for imported frozen poultry products,” he said.
    He also suggested the incorporation of other lucrative agribusiness ventures into the initiative.
    He said: “Arable crop production should be incorporated into the agriculture programme as there are lots of arable lands in the state.
    “Snailery production is also a profitable business; with less than N10, 000 one can start a small scale production”.

  • ExxonMobil boosts women empowerment with $100m

    ExxonMobil boosts women empowerment with $100m

    American oil giant, ExxonMobil, has made investments worth over $100 million in initiatives and projects, aimed at empowering women, it was learnt.

    This emerged during an event to mark this year’s Women’s Day in Lagos titled: “Women in Nigeria (WIN) exhibition & conference.” It was rganised by WEConnect International, a non-governmental organisation focused on women economic empowerment and sponsored by ExxonMobil with other global partners of WEConnect such as Procter & Gamble, IBM, Accenture and Ernst & Young, ExxonMobil was said to have spent multi-million dollars on issues that concern women.

    In a presentation titled: “Nigeria – The Journey So Far – Marketplace & Opportunities,” ExxonMobil Nigeria’s Operations Procurement Manager, Judith Mbonu, said the company had invested over $100 million in support of women empowerment initiatives in over 90 countries around the world, including Nigeria.

    Mbonu said the investments made under the firm’s Women’s Economic Opportunity Initiative (WEOI), were aimed at helping women achieve their economic potentials towards improving the socio-economic conditions of their respective communities, adding that it had benefitted tens of thousands of women in those countries.

    She also said the ExxonMobil upstream companies in Nigeria transacted business with women-owned companies in 2016 to the tune of over $24 million in furtherance of this economic empowerment objective. She added that ExxonMobil’s support for women economic empowerment stemmed from the firm’s strong belief that “when women move forward, the world moves with them.

    “We also know that when women control their income, they usually invest in the health, education and well-being of their families and communities, thereby benefitting the entire society.”

    She said ExxonMobil supports WEConnect at global and local levels, adding that the firm had implemented a number of other intitiatives aimed at the sustainable economic empowerment of women in Nigeria.

    Mbonu, who is also the Chairperson of the WEConnect Advisory Council in Nigeria, urged women to use networking towards making their businesses more competitive and successful. “You need to network locally, regionally and internationally,” she said.

    She also gave some tips to women business owners on improving their success rate with multinational companies and large corporate organisations. The tips included safety, building specialised skills, good business ethics, willingness to adapt to change and disciplined execution of contractual obligations.

    ExxonMobil’s Global Sustainable Procurement Manager, Nancy Swartout, who was the international guest speaker at the WIN event, in her presentation titled: “Global Support for WEConnect International,” offered more insight into ExxonMobil’s global strategy for women empowerment.

    Swartout said ensuring diversity was a key aspect of ExxonMobil’s operations, adding that the corporation spent $33 million on its Global Supplier Diversity Programme outside the United States (U.S.) in 2016, exceeding its target of $25 million. According to her, the $24 million business volume achieved with women-owned organisations by ExxonMobil affiliates in Nigeria, represented 74 per cent of total spent.

    The Keynote Speaker at the event and Executive Vice Chairman of Famfa Oil Limited, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, who spoke on the theme of the conference “Bold Steps for Big Change,” lamented that “half of the world’s greatest resource are being blocked from reaching their potential due to the fact that they belong to the female gender”.

    She urged the women to step up and take bold, ground-breaking actions towards improving the success rate and impact of their companies, using her personal business experience. She urged women entrepreneurs to persevere till they succeed in business.

    Mrs. Alakija commended ExxonMobil’s investments in the economic empowerment of women. “We should use ExxonMobil as an example for other oil companies and organisations not just in Nigeria, but worldwide for its support to various businesses of women,” she said.

    WEConnect International Country Director of  in Nigeria, Shade Ladipo, said the organisation  partners ExxonMobil and others to train women on the workings of multinationals and large organisations. Some of the trainings are on bidding and procurement processes as well as how to compete effectively with their male counterparts in winning business from such organisations.

  • 500 benefit from empowerment programme

    500 benefit from empowerment programme

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuff Lasun, who is representing Osogbo/Oloru-nda/Ifelodun/Orolu federal constituency of Osun State, has spent N250 million to alleviate poverty and create wealth among the people Osun State.

    No fewer than 500 people including farmers, women and youths had benefited from the Deputy Speaker’s empowerment programme through training, cash gift and provision of free equipment and materials in their various areas of specialisation.

    The beneficiaries include 350 farmers who were nominated and chosen across the local governments of Osun State by the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and 150 youths.

    50 people were trained in mushroom plantation, preservation and marketing, 100 others were trained in fishery farm and 200 participants were lectured on plantain plantation.

    The 150 youths were expected to be trained in ICT but the late delivery of materials needed for training delayed the programme.

    After completion of the ICT training, each of the 150 youths would collect a N270-worth laptop, six-month etisalat subscription and N50,000.

    The 350 beneficiaries, who had completed their training were awarded certificate and presented gifts on Friday, February 24, at the Constituency Office of the deputy speaker located at Oroki Estate, Osogbo.

    Each fish farmer was given N50,000, coal and electric powered oven, fish smoken kiln and fish box while those that went for mushroom training were given N100,000.

    The farmers that were trained in plantain were given 20 suckers of plantains, cutlasses, wheel-biro and N75,000 cash each.

    Speaking on the objective of the programme, the Consultant, Prof. Olufemi Peters, said Hon. Lasun wanted to encourage self-reliance and high productivity in agricultural sector to combat poverty headlong.

    He added that the programme was to improve skills and agricultural entrepreneurship through identification of beneficiaries who are in need.

    Peters stated that the empowerment programme would also improve quality of livelihood through sustainable food security programme.

    On the monitoring of the beneficiaries, Peters disclosed that a committee comprising members of the Lasun’s constituency office, AFAN and the consultant has been inaugurated to guide them.

    He stated that the committee is to ensure that the farmers set up their farms as soon as possible, give them regular training and communicate update research ideas to them.

    “We have also establish cooperative community for the beneficiaries for them to be holding meeting, source for more fund, create network for marketing and share ideas with one-another.

    He said: “We have also created e-networking for marketing and communication through the social media to share their experiences and challenges on their various farm and market.”

    The empowerment progarmme was organised in collaboration with the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria and Federation of Stud Green Institute.

    One of the beneficiaries, Mr. Ayodeji Bolarinwa, a farmer, described the empowerment programme as timely and needed at the present time to reduce poverty to the barest minimum among the people of the state. Commending the Deputy Speaker, another beneficiary, Mrs. Idowu Ayobode, said the Ilobu-born lawmaker has demonstrated his keenness in promoting agriculture and empowering the people to dissuade them from running after politicians to beg for money. Ayobode charged other political office holders to emulate what he described as good character and good gesture of the deputy speaker.

  • 1,000 relish Afe Babalola’s N16.5m empowerment

    1,000 relish Afe Babalola’s N16.5m empowerment

    The huge crowd that thronged the AB Foundation Civic Centre located on Opopogbooro in Ado-Ekiti was unprecedented. Men, women, youths, students and the physically-challenged were present.

    They were among the 15,000 that obtained forms to benefit from the cash to be made available to them by Afe Babalola (SAN).

    Law enforcement agencies such the police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) deployed their men and women to the venue to ensure that the event was hitch-free.

    Organisers had, about two weeks earlier, made announcements on the electronic media calling on residents of the state to obtain free forms to enable them to benefit from the gesture. However, only 15,000 people obtained the forms within the first three days.

    The committee, in its wisdom, halted further distribution of forms as interested applicants continued to show interest hence the need to manage the crowd and sort out the applications since limited amount was available.

    That was the setting at the maiden Poverty Alleviation Programme of AB Foundation, a charity and empowerment-based non-governmental organisation established by Babalola to further his philanthropic ideals.

    The main objective of the Foundation is to assist the less-privileged persons in the society, rework the social equation, put smiles on their faces and assure them that all is not lost after all.

    Out of the number, 1,000 applicants were selected to benefit from the AB Foundation Poverty Alleviation Empowerment and they had the privilege of having their tallies put in the pot from which the lots were drawn to determine the winners of various cash categories.

    Poverty is a problem afflicting the society with about 70 per cent of Nigerians living below the poverty line and living less on one dollar per day. Governments, international organisations and non-governmental organisations have been working hard to tackle the scourge which still persists.

    Babalola had a taste of poverty as story has it that he was brought up in a non-plastered mud house covered with thatched roof. But he conquered poverty by the grace of God, determination to succeed in life and hard work.

    Having tasted poverty during his formative years in his native Ado-Ekiti, Babalola is passionate to assist those wallowing in poverty with his God-given and hard-earned wealth and this has endeared him to many within and outside Nigeria.

    There was pin-drop silence when the marked tallies of the selected beneficiaries were poured inside the glass container and was stirred several times before being brought out to determine the amount won.

    Many of the selected beneficiaries closed their eyes and went into a brief session of prayer calling on Providence to favour them and win fat cash from the draw.

    It was the physically-challenged that were called out first because of their condition before the able-bodied ones had their turn.

    Out of the selected beneficiaries, 20 people received N100,000 each; 180 people received N50,000 each; 300 people smiled home with N10,000 each while 500 beneficiaries received N5,000 each at the maiden AB Foundation Poverty Alleviation Programme. All amounted to N16.5 million which Babalola gave out.

    The event was chaired by the Ohinoyi of Ebira land, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim while the Ewi of Ado- Ekiti was the royal host of the day. The two monarchs were accompanied by their retinue of chiefs and palace aides.

    Other guests who attended the event were former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; Anglican Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Rt. Rev. Christopher Omotunde; elder statesman, Chief Deji Fasuan; President of Ado Progressive Union (APU), Chief Obafemi Ojo; Chairman, Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Senator Bode Ola and the Chief Medical Director of Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Dr. Kolawole Ogundipe, among others.

    Babalola said the event was significant in many respects primary of which was the fact that the month of January was significant in his life as it was in that month in 1937 that he was sent to school by his father against his wish; marking the 80th anniversary of the commencement of his education at Emmanuel School, Ado-Ekiti.

    He reminisced: “January, 2017 is significant in my life, even though I do not remember the exact day in January, 1937 that my father, of evergreen memory, made the ‘mistake’ of sending me to school, very much against my wish.

    “I must point out here that I was the only person in my immediate and extended family as well as the whole of our street in Odo Ado that was singled out for this punishment because we were subjected to corporal punishment at all times; including caning, closing of eyes, raising one leg with eyes closed and cutting of grasses.”

    He urged privileged Nigerians to assist the poor to reduce the high rate of poverty and unemployment in the country saying: “you don’t need to be the richest person in the world to help your neighbour.”

    Babalola said: “Nobody has the whole wealth in the world; you can turn around the fate of somebody who is poor today. My wish when I was very young was to inherit father’s hoe and cutlass but I want to tell you that with hard work, determination and industry, you can get there.

    “I urge the government to reach out to the ordinary people at the grassroots and do something to assist them. I am a grassroots man, the only time I am happy is when somebody beside me is happy.

    “I will rather go hungry than seeing somebody beside me going hungry; there are many Ado-Ekiti indigenes who are richer than me, there are many Nigerians who are richer than me but I won’t mention names here.

    “Giving is an act I borrowed from my parents; giving is very important if we want this country to develop. The Federal Government alone cannot fund universities in Nigeria and make them comparable to their peers in other parts of the world.

    “What Stanford University (in the United States) received annually from endowments is more than the whole amount Nigerian government votes for education. How then can Nigerian universities compare with them?

    “We should change our attitude of leaving everything for the government to do for us. Today, it has got to the ludicrous extent that many Nigerians want to bear children and want government not only to train them but also to provide the children school meals.

    “We cannot abdicate our responsibilities for government, not in the face of compelling and competing duties of the government. I, therefore, call on the rich and the more comfortable members of the Nigerian society to assist the less-privileged people with the overall aim of engendering growth and development.

    “What I am doing today is a token of my humble concern and love for the people generally and I will like the rich among us to take a cue from this because riches don’t become wealth until they are invested in humanity.”

    Babalola urged the beneficiaries to invest the cash received wisely and judiciously to give themselves economic empowerment through investment in small-scale businesses.

    He revealed that the building where the event took place, AB Foundation Civic Centre which can accommodate over 2,000 people, was built to raise money to be donated to the less-privileged people.

    The Ohinoyi, Alhaji Ibrahim, said Babalola’s gesture was commendable because of the rate of poverty in the country. He described poverty as a “very impatient illness needing attention.

    The monarch said: “Ado-Ekiti has an illustrious son that has lifted the name of Ekiti State. I want to congratulate the Ewi and the people of Ekiti for having a man of his stature.

    “The time is so right; the gesture is so commendable and so unforgettable when poverty has spread out its curtailing wings over opportunities and hope. But here comes a remedy to help generously.

    “I pray that those lucky beneficiaries of AB Foundation cash gift today should invest the money in any enterprise directly or in association with friends in order to gain self-reliance and gain the needed comfort.”

    The Ewi, Oba Adejugbe, commended Babalola for siting his university in the town alongside its subsidiaries such as farm, hotel, bakery and others which have generated thousands of employment.

    He advised the people to go back to the farm to ensure food security and be gainfully employed. He expressed concern over the huge number of people who turned out for the programme.

    Oba Adejugbe added: “That is what Afe Babalola is doing every day, giving to the needy. It is not until you become a millionaire that you can give; from the little you have reach out to the poor.

    “I want to appeal that we should do something about the unemployment situation in this country. I want to urge everybody to go back to the farm because we are in an era when salaries are no longer regular.

    “Even when the salary is regular, it is not enough. Let us go back to the farm because what I saw outside (the hall) this morning, may God bless this country.”

    Chief Fasuan slammed politicians “who make millions from their outrageous salaries and allowances but come back at the end of the year to distribute second-hand motorcycles and grinding machines as empowerment to the people.

    Describing Babalola as an “unusual human being”, Fasuan said ABUAD, in its seven years of existence, has given solace to many people in Ekiti and has become a reference point within and outside the country.

    Fasuan said: “Afe Babalola is an unusual human being; he has knocked at every frontier on all fronts. Can you imagine a seven-year-old university spreading its tentacles to every area of human endeavour such as agriculture and the hospitality industry, among others?

    “Afe Babalola discovered himself as the Pro-Chancellor of University of Lagos. The nearest is the symbolic gesture of politicians after making millions, they will come back at the end of the year to distribute grinding machines and used motorcycles.”

    Adeniran described Babalola as the rallying point for him and other students in the 60s at the University of Ibadan, revealing that the philanthropist used to give them money not minding where they came from.

    The beneficiaries also praised their benefactor and prayed God to grant him long life for him to continue to give solace to the poor.

     

     

  • Foundation organizes youth empowerment summit

    The Mike Egbayelo Foundation has organized its first Youth Empowerment Summit at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat, Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    The programme tagged: ‘Empowerment for APC Apapa Youths,’ was witnessed by over 200 youths who were engaged in employability-training, vocational training in digital marketing, photography, video recording and editing, catering, shoe and bag making.

    The  two-day event, which held at the party secretariat in Apapa, also featured provision of empowerment tools for selected beneficiaries.

    The sponsor of the programme, Mike Oladunjoye Egbayelo said the programme was conceived by his Foundation to empower the very vibrant, hardworking and committed youths who, under the rain and sun, have worked tirelessly for the party’s victory, adding that the programme tends to promote self-reliance and sustainability in view of the present economic realities.

    “This programme is in two dimensions. One, it is intended to provide our youths with tools of getting gainful employment, that’s for those who prefer the white-collar jobs. Also, it is design to provide training and capacity for our teeming youths to learn useful trades that will help them become entrepreneurs and employers of labour. The employability-training module will cover resume training, interview skills, etiquette and effective communication skills to improve their capacity and give them an edge when competing for career jobs.

    “The vocational training on the other hand will afford them the opportunity to learn useful trades like  photography, video recording and editing, catering, shoe and bag making, amongst others. And at the end of the training selected beneficiaries will get start-up equipment like ,oven,gas cooker, toast machine, sewing machine,clippers, phone center canopies amongst others, to empower them.

    After the training some of the beneficiaries said that they were really happy to have been part of such a laudable programme, as they urged the organisers to make it an annual event. “This is the first time I would be benefitting from such a project. Now I know how to bake cake and I intend starting my business in cake making,” said Miss Bukky Adewale.

    Present at the event were the Former Commissioner for Home Affairs and leader of APC in Apapa Hon Tunde Balogun,APC LGA chairman,Alhaji Fatai Sanni,former leader of the Apapa local Government legislative council.Hon Banjo Makanjuola among others

  • 25 constituents get empowerment tools

    The Sole Administrator of Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, Mr. Abiola Bashir Are, has said the masses should be empowered.

    Are spoke during the empowerment programme for residents of the council. He maintained that he was committed to ensuring that the people  were genuinely empowered.

    To this end, he has distributed empowerment materials to some residents as part of his poverty alleviation programmes. The empowerment tools worth several thousands of Naira were distributed to the beneficiaries at the council’s headquarters after five days training on the use of the implements.

    He said it was in line with his vision to provide sustainable sources of income to unemployed residents, while also reducing the poverty level among them.

    The items distributed were electronic cash dispensing machines, among other items. No fewer than 25 graduates benefited from the programme.

    Speaking at the event, Mr Are said the empowerment programme was a paradigm shift in youth empowerment, adding that it would be a continuous one.

    He said: “We are faced with a nasty situation where millions of graduates from our tertiary institutions find it difficult to secure rewarding employments after spending four or six years in the university.

    “It is also a fact that some of these problems were as a result of lack of contemporary skills vis-a-vis current market demands which, in effect, leads to most companies employing expatriate workers who will give them what they want.

    “I will deploy every opportunity available to me to enhance the living conditions of the people. The issue of youth empowerment is paramount in the council’s commitment to provide necessities of life for our people.”

    Continuing, he said: ‘‘Today’s empowerment programme is one in series of such we have embarked upon in the past few months.

    ‘‘Other programmes the council has embarked upon are training of 30 candidates on Projects Management Professional (PMP) for unemployment graduates of Engineering, workshop for 27 unemployed graduates  of Social Sciences and Business Management to whom equipment for business enterprises are presented today. The next in line is Java programing/software development boot-camp for unemployed graduates of Computer Science.

    ‘‘I know that software developers are in high demand globally. Collaboratively, the founder of Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg) who arrived in Nigeria to see Yaba Technology HUB, remarked that there are over 7.1 million Nigerians using Facebook daily. Our conviction in this innovative idea is in the fact that when you give a man fish to eat, he will have a meal but when you teach him how to fish, he will eat fish all his life.

    “Without education, our youths are condemned to a life of poor prospects. Thus, the gap between aspiration and reality gets wider due to inequality of opportunity. Inequality weakens our national economy; it lowers demand for products and services and, by extension, lowers prospects of new jobs.

    Also speaking the lawmaker representing Lagos Island Constituency 11, Hon. Sola Giwa said the empowerment programme is in line with the state government’s agenda. Our youths constitute over 65 per cent out of which only five per cent are employed.

    He also said time is changing, hence Lagos State government’s decision to set aside over N6 billion for employment of youths every year.

  • 129 benefit from foundation’s empowerment scheme

    The lawmaker representing Epe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Wale Raji, has said the zeal to render service to humanity attracted him to politics. The lawmaker, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), added that after a fulfilled career in the civil service, the issue of how to make his fellow humankind better became his preoccupation.

    Hon. Raji revealed this at Epe, a Lagos suburb during the maiden graduation ceremony of his youth empowerment scheme. The event served as a platform for the presentation of empowerment equipment and tools to the first batch of 129 graduates of the foundation.

    The lawmaker further explained that his Youth Empowering Scheme, in partnership with the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) had trained about 129 youths in various skill acquisition and empowerment programmes that will make them be self-reliant. He also said the beneficiaries cut across his constituency.

    In his welcome address, Raji noted that the foundation was conceived in order to make a sustained impact through quality service delivery to the people of his constituency. He added that the youth in the area have been neglected for too long which has given room for many of them to take to hooliganism and other anti-social vices.

    He explained that the Youth Empowerment Scheme was essentially a youth-focused skill acquisition and empowerment initiative which is implemented in collaboration with the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board (LASTVEB)

    He said: “Nobody can make you rich but an opportunity can be created for you to acquire a vocational skill that will always put food on your table and make you financially independent.

    “Everybody gathered here today look forward to the success of your new vocation. You cannot afford to disappoint them by betraying the confidence reposted in your abilities, competencies and skill to succeed and make something out of your life,” he said.

    In his message to the graduates, Governor Akinwumi Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Mr. Babatunde Durotimi-Eti said the Raji initiative couldn’t have come at a better time than now. He also noted that the initiative was in line with the state’s empowerment programme which aims at taking the youth away from the street and assist them to be wealth creators.

    He challenged the participants to be focused and look beyond the immediate so as to be part of the revolution going on in the state in terms of wealth creation among the youth, adding that the future of the nation is in their hands.

    In his comment, the Chairman of the occasion, Justice Adesola Oguntade said there was no other way to give back to the society than empowerment of the youth in order to make them self-reliant as Hon. Raji was doing. He noted that the gesture would go a long way in discouraging them from taking to crime.

    Oguntade, who was represented by Mr. Ayodele Aina regretted that, over the years, the youth which constitute leaders of tomorrow were short-changed in the scheme of things; thereby exposed them to uncertainty and bleak future.

    He said the giant step taken by Hon. Raji Foundation by empowering the youth from his constituency, there is a ray of hope for those who can grab the opportunity offered them and launch themselves into economic independence.

    “What we are doing today is to bridge the gap that has existed for so long. It is very sad to read from the dailies every day about the huge number of youths who are in various prisons all over the world. These are the youth who were supposed to be engaged in productive enterprise that will give them economic survival like we are doing today,” he said.

    Speaking in the same manner, a community leader, Mr. T. J. Abass, noted that the initiative which was the first in the community was monumental; adding that it is a recipe for economic survival for the youth who thought that all hopes were lost.

    Abass challenged the participants to make use of the opportunity. “The race of your life has just begun through the benevolence of Hon. Raji. Try and make success of what you were given today. Opportunity comes but once in a life time,” he said.

    Speaking to Southwest Report about the empowerment programme, one of the beneficiaries Suleiman Natiq, who graduated as aluminium expert, said the three month-intensive training he received is a life time fortune.