Training
By Muftau Ogunyemi
Akure, April 22, 2018 (NAN) No fewer than 110 women have been trained and empowered by a member of the House of Representatives, Joseph Akinlaja, representing Ondo East and West Federal Constituency in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
Mr Mayowa Aliu, the NDE State Coordinator, made this disclosure at the graduation ceremony of the trainees on Sunday in Ondo town.
Aliu, who noted that the NDE had adopted various strategies over the years to combat the menace of unemployment, said the trainees were drawn from Akinlaja’s constituency.
“110 unemployed youths took a two-week intensive training in cosmetology; in such areas as solid and liquid soap, perfume, air freshener, izal, insecticide, bleach, cream, shampoo, detergent and others.
“The beauty of this training is to equip the trainees with the skills that enable them become self-employed, create wealth and become employers of labour,’’ he said.
He said another set of 34 trainees were undergoing training in cosmetology, shoe and bag making at Ore and Akure under the mega training National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (NOAS).
Aliu said that NOAS had involved the use of formal sector operators such as master craftsmen and women as trainers for unskilled youths to acquire necessary skills.
The coordinator, therefore, implored the graduates to avail themselves of the rare opportunity by translating what they had been taught during the training exercise into reality.
He said that the lawmaker would be giving each trainee N20, 000 as take-off grant.
“I wish to thank Joseph Akinlaja for his relentless effort in securing this allocation for his constituency and the wonderful support he gave for the success of this training exercise.
In his remark, Akinlaja said that the empowerment programme was one of his numerous contributions to development since 2011, when he was elected as a lawmaker in the constituency.
“I have a grace to give back to the people and I have done more than 350 projects ranging from community development to urban renewal within the seven years that I was elected,”Akinlaja said.
One of the beneficiaries, Omotola Ogunsanmi, lauded the effort of the lawmaker and the NDE for giving her the opportunity.
“I count myself lucky for being among the beneficiaries because what I have learnt from the programme, I do not have the opportunity to learn it in school,’’ Ogunsanmi added. (NAN)
OMA/JPE/YEMI
Edited by Joseph Edeh/Yemi Idris-Aduloju