Women empowered in Lagos under short-term skills empowerment programme hit over 10,000
…As govt calls out unemployed to seize opportunities
…Says it has zero tolerance for idleness
By Moses Adeniyi
Record of women resident in Lagos State who have benefitted from the State Government’s Short-Term Skills, Training Acquisition and Empowerment programme has hit over 10,000 – Nigerian NewsDirect has gathered.
The women beneficiaries who obtained the training skills on various vocations, across the available centres, in the five divisions of the State, were empowered with kits for start-up, upon graduation from the free training period.
The programme, which has recorded over 10,000 graduands between 2019 and 2022, extends its reach to women groups including faith-based organisation in the five divisions of the State.
“So far, 10,000 trainees have graduated from the short-term programme since 2019,” the State’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Dada, said, at the closing ceremony of a 4-week Short-term skills, training acquisition and empowerment programme organised by the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) for women in Lagos, under the auspices of a number of muslim organisations.
She said the 20 vocations learnt in the 19 centres across the five divisions of the State where the trainings take place, would be upscaled to accommodate more beneficiaries across the State.
“The programme is a socio-economic intervention which is directed at financial sustainability and progress. There is a dearth of white collar jobs that are seriously going into extinction.
“It is in realisation of this reality, that the Lagos State Government established 19 functional skills acquisition centres with 20 vocations being taught at these centres situated in five divisions of the State, even as an additional centre and newer vocations are to be introduced, in just few weeks,” the Commissioner said.
The Commissioner who was represented by the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Women Affairs, Mrs. Funmi Adegoke, said the empowerment was strategic to socio-economic development as a strategy to tackle poverty.
According to her, the State Government having recognised the prevailing economic circumstances, has acknowledged the significance of women empowerment.
She mentioned that empowering women is essential to reduce tension and domestic violence in the home front.
“The present Administration under the able leadership of Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has taken women empowerment as one of its focal policies, in order to mitigate the effects of poverty prevalence amongst women.
“We also realise that when women are economically empowered, there is less tension in the home-front and obvious reduction in domestic violence,” Dada said.
According to her, the objective to empower women and expand their proficiency in various skills, was to enable them provide for their various families, “for the purpose of economic empowerment, and upliftment of their status from state of dependency to self-reliance.”
Dada said the state has zero tolerance for idleness and mediocrity, but encourages productivity, and the ideals of financial sustainability, with a focus on self dependence.
She called, particularly, on “unemployed persons, the under-employed and those who are still patiently waiting for white collar jobs, to utilise these opportunities by learning at least a vocation to become self-dependent,” saying “Lagos State Government has zero tolerance to idleness in any form.”
She said testimonies of beneficiaries who are thriving in their vocations approve the significance and value of the programme.
The Chief Imam of the Secretariat Mosque, Lagos State, represented by the mosque manager, Alh. Saheed Junaid, appreciated the Government for the extension of the “social responsibility” programme to members of the Islamic community, appealing to the beneficiaries “to make good use of the opportunities” because, according to him, “that is only when all the efforts will materialise.”
The Women Affairs Secretary of the Secretariat Mosque, Lagos State, Mrs. Adams Aisha, appreciated the Ministry, WAPA, for the goodwill towards the muslim society, saying training and empowering women remains key to eradicating poverty.
She called on the participants to make full use of the training and kits acquired to “contribute positively to the growth of the State and the Country at large.”
A beneficiary, Mrs. Victoria Fatunwase, appreciated the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration on the efforts towards women empowerment, saying the trainings were vitalising and valuable for socio-economic upliftment.
Available training skills in the 19 centres across the five divisions of the State, include cathering and confectioneries; make-up application & gele tying; fabrics stoning; throw pillow and interior decorations, hair dressing and wig making; soap production, disinfection; Ankara craft and leather works; event planning and decoration; tie and die; pomade/healthy insecticide production; among others.
Women group beneficiaries include faith-based groups, wives of military officers, people living with disabilities, retiring public servants, internally displaced persons, people living with human immunodeficiency virus, among others.
