At least, a total number of One hundred youths have been empowered across the three Senatorial Districts of Ogun State, in different vocational skills, including Catering, Baking, Tie and Dye, Coding, Animation, as well as Arts and Crafts, facilitated by the government in collaboration with two private firms – IHS Nigeria Limited and WeforGood International, both in Lagos.

The State Deputy Governor, Engr. (Mrs) Noimot Salako-Oyedele, while speaking at the graduation ceremony of the trainees in Abeokuta, said the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative of the State government, has given the teeming youths opportunity to be self-reliance and sufficient.

Engr. Salako-Oyedele, represented by the Senior Special Adviser to the Deputy Governor, Hon. Raman Salako, through the Agency’s spokeswoman, Mrs. Oluwakemi Ogungbade, explained that vocational skills were essential to the development and growth of a nation, affirming that effort of the present administration has brought about the birth of TechHub and Jobs portal, calling on other private organisations to hunt for talents, to engage youths meaningfully.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Job Creation and Youth Empowerment, Prince Lekan Olude, represented by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Job Creation, Mr. Biola Odetola said job creation is one of the critical pillars of the present administration to deliver the young people from idleness and unemployment, noting that skill acquisition programme is a way of delivering the dividends of democracy.

Olude charged the trainees to make good use of the knowledge gained, saying “consider the skill you have as your life, nurture it, live on it daily and the sky will be your starting point, as it will improve your standard of living”, he said.

In her remarks, Director of IHS Towers Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Ama Sholoton pointed out that young people are more likely to be unemployed, compared to adults, noting that 14 million youths were unemployed, due to the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

She noted that the training is meant to make the graduands self-reliance and needed to gain technical skill that will make them successful.

Sholoton added that her organisation was committed to providing entrepreneurial training, business management support, cooperative setup, micro-credit and branding, to enable the trained youths survive in future, urging them to be resilient.

Speaking on behalf of the graduands, Mr. Adenekan Olayinka said the training would avail them the opportunity to be a job provider, rather than seekers, appreciating the State government and collaborating firms for the gesture.

Highlights of the event, were the issuance of certificates to the trainees, along with the provision of basic working tools and start-up kits.