…Olubadan, leaders hail scheme as game changer

The Federal Government has empowered 700 youths in Oyo State with vocational skills, digital devices and business starter kits under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and reduce poverty.

The beneficiaries completed a 10-day intensive training programme organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE).

The graduation ceremony, held on Friday at the Kensington Adebutu Hall, University of Ibadan, marked the end of the training, which began on September 28.

The initiative, according to the organisers, aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of lifting five million Nigerians out of poverty over the next four years by equipping them with skills and resources to establish sustainable livelihoods.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr. Abiola Arogundade, said the programme was designed to provide young people with opportunities for economic independence rather than temporary assistance.

“What we want to do, and what the President wants to do, is to move as many people out of poverty as possible,” she said.

“Mr President believes that our young people do not simply need assistance. They need opportunity. They need skills. They need the tools to compete and build sustainable livelihoods. And that is what today represents.”

Arogundade disclosed that 30 participants received specialised training in artificial intelligence (AI) and graphics design, while 85 were trained in makeup artistry and another 85 in fashion design.

She added that 500 participants received digital devices to support their participation in the digital economy.

The beneficiaries were also provided with practical tools, including laptops, makeup kits, sewing machines and digital tablets, to enable them to apply the skills acquired during the programme.

Arogundade urged the beneficiaries to use the resources to establish businesses and create opportunities for others in their communities.

“What you receive today is not the destination. It is the beginning. Take the skills you have learnt. Take the tools you have received, and build something with them,” she said.

She urged them to share their knowledge by training others, adding that the programme’s impact should extend beyond the immediate beneficiaries.

Earlier, Arogundade led a delegation to the palace of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, who commended the Federal Government for introducing the scheme.

The monarch described the initiative as a useful intervention in addressing youth unemployment and poverty, urging other public officials to support similar empowerment efforts.

“It’s a very good initiative, and we are very proud of Arogundade,” Ladoja said.

“I would also like to encourage many people in her position to emulate her, because this will go a long way in empowering people and reducing poverty in our society.”

Resource persons at the training also highlighted the relevance of the courses to emerging economic opportunities.

The keynote speaker and principal consultant, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, said training young people in AI could help prepare them for changes in the global labour market.

She noted that countries such as the United States and China were investing in AI applications across sectors, including manufacturing, agriculture and automobile production.

Shonubi lauded the government for exposing beneficiaries to the technology and promoting its responsible use to improve career and business prospects.

On her part, the makeup artistry instructor, Rukayat Muhammad, said the skills acquired could provide opportunities for self-employment if beneficiaries continued to improve their expertise and market their services effectively.

She urged participants to treat the equipment provided as investments in their financial independence.

One of the beneficiaries, Olaleye Idowu, a 400-level International Relations student at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the AI and graphics design training had introduced him to the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and its applications.

“The training introduced us to the fundamentals of AI, its applications, and its potential to make work more efficient,” he said.

Idowu said he hoped to become a professional AI prompt engineer within five years and pledged to train and employ others as his career developed.

The ceremony was attended by political figures and other stakeholders, including the APC Oyo State governorship hopeful, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, and his deputy, Hon Michael Adesoji Adedeji; the senator representing Oyo Central, Yunus Abiodun Akintunde; the Oyo State APC Women Leader and Tinubu Torch Bearers coordinator, Dr Adekemi Felicia Opatunde; and the Southwest Federal Constituency coordinator, Hon Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo.

Following an initial pilot phase in Abuja and the completion of the Oyo programme, OSSAP-TVEE said the nationwide rollout would continue across other geopolitical zones.

The office said subsequent phases would target 1,200 participants each, with vocational training tailored to the needs and opportunities of different regions.