16th February, 2023
The Lagos State Government on Thursday disclosed that it has empowered 13,500 women through various skill acquisition programmes in the last four years.
Commissioner for Women and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs Cecilia Bolaji Dada revealed this while speaking at the 2023 Micro-Enterprise Support Scheme (MESI) held at the skills acquisition centre, Isheri Olowo-Ira, Lagos.
The commissioner stated that the state government had established 20 functional skills acquisition centres, where no fewer than 20 vocations were taught free of charge to students on a long-term modules, adding that graduands were awarded certificates of competency at the end of their trainings, which they could further use to apply for loans at the Lagos State Employment Trust funds to support their budding businesses.
Dada said the four weeks short–term skills acquisition programme was aimed at curbing the issues of unemployment and empowering citizens towards self-reliance with a bid to achieve a viable economy.
“Participants are trained on various vocations and empowered with start – up packs upon graduation, in order to kick- start their businesses even right from their respective homes. So far, 13,500 participants had benefited from this programme from 2019 till date,” she said.
The commission added that about 2,100 people had benefitted from the 2023 Micro-Enterprise Support Scheme (MESI) sponsored by the Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA).
Dada said that of the number, 60 were snail farmers who had gone through training at government-approved vocational centres.
“Beneficiaries got milling machines, sewing machines, professional hair-dryers, barbing kits with sterilising units and generators, pop-corn machines, shawarma grillers and toasting machines, snail pens, industrial gas cookers, tile laying machines, and gari processing equipment to enhance their trade proficiencies,” she stated.
According to her, the MESI programme had so far empowered 10,385 beneficiaries who have full LASSRA registrations, irrespective of ethnicity and religion, from 2019 till date.
Dada said: “During the last phase of this programme, we gave out garri processing machines, and we have also trained various categories of women at Avia Farm in Badagry. For us as a ministry, we don’t just allow our trainees to walk away, but we support them with materials to enable them start their businesses.
“We just concluded training for about 60 women on snail farming and we felt we should help them start the business; that is why we have built pens for them and they will also get snails.
“Also, you will note that we have included men and youths in our empowerment schemes because everyone must be financially stable and that is why the number has increased. The recipients were selected from the five ibile divisions of Lagos State considering their vulnerability for financial sustainability.”
She noted that the mandate in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation was to curb poverty to its barest minimum among active women, and also protect their rights through women-focused programmes.
Dada, however, charged the beneficiaries of the MESI programme to vote for the APC’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for president and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
“Tinubu is a detribalised human being, youths should not be deceived, how come EFCC, ICPC have never arrested him, all the nonsense they post on social media about him are false, he is the most misrepresented personality in Nigeria.
“Any small thing, it is Tinubu, anything that goes wrong, Tinubu, naira swap, Tinubu. He is the most qualified of all. If Tinubu becomes president, Lagos will benefit a lot. He is better than Atiku and Obi,” Dada stated.