Senior citizens, 4,590 others graduate from Lagos skill acquisition centres

Two retirees – Mrs Majekodunmi Bolanle (66 years) and Mrs Kuburat Animashaun (64) – were among those who graduated from the Lagos State Skill Acquisition Centre in Agidingbi on Wednesday.

The senior citizens were among the 4,592 trainees in various skills graduated by the Lagos State Government.

The graduation ceremony was held at the LTV Blue Roof in Agidingbi.

The graduates took the vocational training in 19 skill development centres across the five traditional divisions in Lagos. The course fees were borne by the State Government.

The skill development programme was supervised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA). Some of the vocational courses taken by the graduates include photography, textile making, catering and hotel management, hairdressing, fashion designing, welding, aluminum fabrication, leather work, furniture and woodwork, among others.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the initiative was targeted at empowering the grassroots, while giving young people the opportunity to discover their innate potential and be economically engaged.

He noted that the skills would help the beneficiaries to be self-reliant, just as their entrepreneurial abilities would be enhanced and make them contribute to the economic growth of the State.

The governor said, “There is no gainsaying that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of any economy, contributing to economic development and prosperity in many ways, chief among which is job creation and providing employment opportunities for people.

“We have continued to encourage vocational and skills acquisition as a pragmatic approach to alleviating poverty and promoting women and youth empowerment for financial sustainability. This administration will not hold back investment in these programmes, believing firmly that lifting people out of poverty is the cardinal goal of government.”

Sanwo-Olu advised the graduates to use the skills to raise their living standards, urging them to pass on the knowledge to empower their neighbours.

He added that the state government created the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to support the goals of MSMEs, urging the graduates to approach the offices for business support and opportunities.

The Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, advised the graduates to explore technology and social media in projecting their skills and business.

Hamzat said globalisation had shattered the economic barriers that had prevented people from showcasing their skills to the markets outside their geographical areas.

He, however, cautioned the trainees from misusing the social media networks to project wrong image for their businesses.

Commissioner for WAPA, Mrs Bolaji Dada, said the skill development programme was designed with the objective to fight poverty and improve livelihoods of the residents.

She said, “Aside equipping them with modern skills, we also took them through business development and monitoring programme to guide the trainees in navigating the complexities of entrepreneurial space.”

The training produced 3,263 female graduates and 1,329 male graduates.