Fifty young residents of Obalende in Ikoyi/Obalende Council Development Areas, aged 18-25 years, are to be trained in four vocational skills and occupations, courtesy of an NGO, the Lagos Achievers Lions club, District 404A1 Nigeria.
The vocational skills to be acquired are; cabinet making and installation, Graphics design, small chops production and soap/detergent production.
At a two day orientation programme for the selected youths over the weekend at the Federal Training centre, Ikoyi, the District Chairperson, Mr Niyi Lawal said the training which is in line with the objectives of the Lions Club is aimed at empowering the youths to become self employed and responsible members of the society.
“This is our own way of impacting the society, training the youths and ensuring that a lot of them are not left on the streets to roan around or graduating from schools and not gainfully employed, we don’t want these ones to become fraudsters and scammers” he said
Shedding more light on the format of the vocational skills acquisition programme, the District Service Chairperson, Mrs Folasade Sotomide said it would span between two weeks to six months of intensive theory and practical learning, after which the participants would be given logistics and financial assistance.
She said “We plan to equip them, there would be a start up capital and there would be people monitoring to ensure that they also become well established and start giving back to the society”
Appealing to the beneficiaries to take maximum advantage of the opportunity, the President of Lagos Achievers Leo Club, Mr Oyindamola Oyekan, pointed out that some of them who are currently out of school due to financial constraints could use the skills acquired as a stepping stone to greatness and to also finance their studies.
Some of the beneficiaries who pledged full commitment to the training thanked the Lagos Achievers Lions club for the opportunity.
Commending the NGO for the gesture, the Chairman, Obalende South Community Development Association, Mr. Monday Agboro said it would curb youth restiveness, crime and other social vices in the community.The CDA Chairman also appealed to other NGOs and philanthropists to fund similar initiatives, not just in Obalende alone, but across Lagos to reduce unemployment and promote sustainable youths engagement.
