13th October, 2014
Kazeem Ugbodaga
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola on Monday flagged off the second phase of the Economic Empowerment Programme through which additional 14,000 residents of the state were empowered.
The programme described as the single biggest empowerment programme in Nigeria was flagged off at 10 different councils simultaneously, but the governor was at the Alimosho Local Government, Ikotun area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria to flag off the event.
In his address to the participants, Fashola said the empowerment programme would last for one month and participants would be trained in various vocation such as bead making, tailoring, sewing, textile design, catering, tie and dye, insecticide production, event planning, among others.
Fashola, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, urged the beneficiaries of the free programme to ensure they attend classes daily, warning that anyone who misses the training for a day would have his or her name delisted from the programme and would not get a certificate.
“If you are not ready for this programme, you better stay at home and don’t come. It is compulsory, and the fact that you are not paying for it does not mean you should take it for granted. By the second week of this programme, you will be able to stand by what you are being taught,” he said.
According to Fashola, the participants would get training kits in line with their chosen vocations, adding that the programme was initially designed to empower 10,000 unemployed men and women.
He stated that when the programme was initially flagged off on 25 August 2014, during which 25,000 men and women applied in just two days, which far exceeded what was originally planned, the government decided that all those who registered must be trained, which informed the second phase of the programme.
The governor disclosed that in the first phase, 11,862 unemployed men and women were trained instead of 5,000 initially earmarked to be trained under the first phase.
“You will only be trained on one skill. I implore you to pay attention to what you are going to hear from your instructors. Ask questions when you don’t understand. It is a free programme, government paid for it. Don’t give your money to anybody. This programme is meant for you to eke out a living for yourselves,” he added.
“This empowerment programme is another way of putting your taxes to work. We are putting back into the society the taxes of those who already have jobs and are paying their taxes. At the end of the exercise, another 25,000 people will be empowered economically and they can also begin to pay their taxes, which will enable many more people enjoy similar benefits and our state will be the better for it,” the governor stated.
Fashola enjoined all residents of the state who desire to benefit from the programme to do so as the government has provided the training and other logistics required at no cost to the participants, adding that the only requirement is to be a legal resident of Lagos, which he noted requires the registration card of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).
Speaking, the Deputy Governor, Orelope-Adefulire, whose speech was read by the Special Adviser in the Office of the Deputy Governor, Riskat Akiyode, said the government had empowered 35,000 men and women.
She said government had so far established 18 skills and acquisition programme centres across the state where several people had been trained and empowered to eke out a living for themselves and be employers of labour.