19th August, 2022
The Lagos State Government on Friday graduated 424 indigent Lagosians from various skills acquisition programmes under the NG-Cares.
The NG-Cares is a socio-economic intervention initiative, targeted at vulnerable women and indigents in Lagos State, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, and political affiliation as part of move to alleviate the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far ravaged the socio-economic status of individuals and the society at large.
The programme is a World Bank initiative in partnership with the Federal and Lagos State Government.
A total of 424 indigent residents were graduated in nine different vocations at three different centres across the state on Friday.
The nine vocations are: Decoration, Tie & Dye, Catering and confectioneries, Gele Tying and Make-Up Application, Ankara Craft and Leather Works, Hair Dressing and Wig making, Fabrics Stoning, Throw Pillow and Interior Decorations, Production of Soap and Pomade/healthy insecticide Production, Photography, Petty trading and enabling materials for the widows.
Speaking at the closing ceremony the event on Friday at the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, Lagos Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Aleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, said the NG-Cares programme is also aimed at maintaining food security and recovery of Medium and Small Scale Enterprises (MSEs) across the country.
She said it was quite noteworthy that this programme would be replicated across 36 States of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
She commended the participants from Agege and Ifako -Ijaye Local Government Areas, who had engaged in this laudable creativity for their large turnout, passion and enthusiasm in the last four weeks.
“Today, is indeed a day to crown your efforts, with success and glory. It is on this note that I heartily congratulate our distinguished recipients and I wish you all , progress in your various businesses .
“The NG-Lagos Cares project under DLi 1.3, is a 4 -Weeks Training programmes on nine vocations, which is tuition- free, with transportation fare given daily to all participants, including the relatively old and chronically ill recipients that have been duly verified and slated for empowerment,” she said.
Dada, who was represented by the Head of Delivery Platform DLi 1.3, Mrs Oluwatoyin Salami, said government had a selection process for the NG-Lagos Cares project carried out by the Livelihood support team assigned with the responsibility of conducting a physical verification exercise for the final selection of beneficiaries on this project.
“Beneficiaries for the livelihood grants were selected from the Lagos State Social Register and the Household enterprises in the informal sector.
“The criteria for household members to receive grants include; the ability and capability of individuals to be productive and agile as well as engaged in some form of micro enterprise.
“There is an approved grants size to be disbursed ranging from N20,000 to N200,000 based on the screening of micro- business plans submitted by the beneficiaries,” she stated.
Dada said there is a dearth of “white collar” jobs that are now seriously going into extinction, saying that it was in realization of this that the number of beneficiaries would be 2,145 people whose businesses had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She, however, said these three centres had 424 recipients at this graduation ceremony, saying that the objective of the training was to train vulnerable recipients on various skills, for the purpose of economic empowerment and elevation of their status from the state of dependency to self-reliance, particularly to provide for the needs of their respective families.
She called on all the intending students, particularly 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.
Procurement Director of the DLi project, Mr. Olanrewaju Disu, said beneficiaries of the project cut across Agege, Ikeja and some others.
Some beneficiaries of the programme thanked the state government for the gesture and assured that they would employ the skills acquired to eke out a living.
Cherish Abode, who learnt catering, said her experience at the programme had been amazing, especially in catering class, as she and others learnt more useful things, garnering experience in cooking and others.
Bukola Ogabi, Event decorator, said government had given them means of livelihood through the training and start-up grant they would be given.