Politics
THE Federal Government on Friday in Ile Oluji, headquarters of Ile Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government area of Ondo State, inaugurated a skills acquisition centre designed to cater to various life-skills training for the youth.
The Skills Acquisition Centre was built under the office of the Senior Special Assistant (SSA), to the President on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the centre, named Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Skills Acquisition Centre, would also cater for economic empowerment of the teeming youth in the area
Orelope-Adefulire said that the project was aimed at achieving the cardinal objectives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to improve the economy, secure the country and stamp out corruption in the society.
The SSA, who said that the youth must be encouraged to use their hands to work for a living and shun crime, noted that a society could only be said to be free when its youth were productively engaged.
“Today, we are here to inaugurate a skills acquisition centre which is going to be a strategic tool for the economic empowerment of our teeming youth.
“Thus, there is empirical evidence that demonstrates that investing in the youth will lead to poverty eradication, which in turn leads to social security, thereby achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 16 and 17 respectively.
“Indeed, I have spent a significant part of my adult life canvassing for the empowerment of women and the youth.
“I want to urge all the youth that are billed to be trained in this skills acquisition centre to consider themselves lucky and use the opportunity wisely.
“This is so that in no time, you can become employers of labour and thereby contribute positively to the economic development of our great nation.
“I am, therefore, convinced that our youth, when empowered with the right skills, can transform their livelihoods and contribute meaningfully to the economy.
“It is based on this that Mr President is strongly supporting our cause in the SDGs, hence, our youth must not fail us.
“They should rather complement this noble gesture by engaging positively in enterprises and shunning vices which destroy not only the youth but have a negative impact on the society,” she said.
According to her, no country or government can provide all the essentials for its citizens, but it is the duty of every government to guide and encourage its people to develop for a sustainable livelihood.
“And this is exactly what we are doing here as part of Nigeria’s commitment to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
NAN reports that the available skills in the centre are: sewing, fashion & dressmaking, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), photography, hairdressing & cosmetology.
Others are barbing, catering, tiling & interlocking, automobile, aluminium fabrication, welding and Plumbing among others.
There is also a provision for short term training on bead making, soap making, makeup artistry, event planning and decoration, painting, drawing, weaving and shoemaking, small chops and flower arrangements.
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, while inaugurating the centre, appreciated the president and office of SSA for the gesture, saying it would go a long way to reduce the rate of unemployment in the state.
Akeredolu explained that it was only through skills acquisition that people could get jobs and become employers of labour.
According to Akeredolu, trainees at the centre will be empowered with the working materials after graduation.
He, therefore, appealed to the citizens to continue to support the APC-led government and vote for him in the Oct. 10, governorship election.
Also the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was represented by Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, commended both the federal and Ondo State governments for the initiative.
Tinubu advised the youth and the community to see the centre as theirs by cultivating the idea of maintaining the centre.
“The era of white-collar job is gone. What is important now is skills acquisition and this is the best gift that anybody can get. Technical/vocational training and skills are the way to go in Nigeria today, please take it seriously.’’ (NAN)
– Oct. 2, 2020 @ 17:37 GMT |
Tags: FG inaugurates skills acquisition centre in Ondo State
