SKILL ACQUISITIONS: KEY TO YOUTH DEVELOPMENT BY OLAMIDE LAWAL

          The kind of skills, attitudes, competence and trainings of an Individual will always enhance the mental, physical and social development of the individual and nation at large.

          This would also reflect in his or her intellectual competence and sagacity towards matters in the Society.

          It is based on the above that we would continually engage our youths in skills acquisition, sensitization, training, and public enlightenment to enhance productivity and intellectual development of Ogun Youths.

          In fulfillment of this, I paid an Assessment visit to the Skills Acquisition center of the National Directorate of Employment in Sabo area of Abeokuta North Local Government where some youths are currently undergoing training in tailoring and at the same time, producing nose masks of about 20,000 pieces that would be donated to the State Government.

          While assessing the activities at the centre, I noted that “We appreciate every of your effort in ensuring that you're partnering with us. Looking around, I see that majorly, females are here and it's a thing of joy that our women have taken this upon themselves.

“Skill acquisition is not an easy thing that can be done by a lazy person, you have to be committed, active and in fact, passionate. All these are things you have all exhibited and I can tell you that this skill, tailoring, is a very good profession which can be used to feed not only yourself but even many of your immediate families because it deals with creativity and also cloth is what we wear everyday. These are part of things the current government is trying to do to empower the youths particularly in the area of agriculture, as Food is very essential and we also must be able to feed ourselves, that is the more reason why you have seen several initiatives on Agriculture.”

          Also, I have opened discussion with the Ogun State Coordinator of the National Directorate of Employment and we are going to go into more partnerships with them on this skill acquisition by the special grace of God because government is also proposing that we have a new development center where several skills like this would be acquired.

          I have seen several graduates that after completing four to five years education in school would still go back to learn skills like this because of the unavailability of white collar jobs, until there is massive industrialization, we have to stop depending on white collar jobs but I want all youths in the Gateway State to be rest assured that as you have taken it upon yourself to learn this skills, the government on its own side would not let you down as it would do everything within its capacity to cater for the welfare of the youths.

          Let me reiterate that Our governor loves youth so much that he established a job porter to capture the unemployed youths in Ogun state and they are being catered for via the office of the Special Adviser on Job creation and Youth empowerment which was created by Governor Dapo Abiodun MFR

          The State Coordinator of the National Directorate of Employment, Mr Adekunle Bamgbade, in his reaction appreciated the Prince Dapo Abiodun led administration for its support and synergy towards the emancipation of the youths from the shackles of joblessness and poverty. He highlighted some of the outlined programmes of his directorate while seeking for further support and cooperation of the State government.