Exactly 1,500 youths of Oyo Central Senatorial District have been trained and empowered with cash grants to boost their small-scale businesses.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Teslim Folarin made the disclosure on Thursday during closing ceremonies of his facilitated 4-Day Batch “B” Empowerment Trainings for 1000 youths of the Senatorial district.
The three-term senator stated that cash grants to all participants of his two-week long empowerment trainings were part of his constituency projects aimed at empowering and improving the socio-economic development of his constituents.
“Apart from knowledge and skills imparted to the participants, each of them was given N40,000 to support their business ideas. Excluding multi-million naira expended on the two weeks of intensive trainings, N60million is given to the 1,500 participants”.
The trainings focus on ICT Skill Acquisition, and Elementary Management Techniques for Cooperators, Sole Traders and Partners in Oyo Central Senatorial District.
Participants from Afijio, Atiba, Oyo East and Oyo West LGAs of Oyo Central Senatorial District underwent their trainings at Omajid Events Center and IPMAN Event Centre. Those from Ona-Ara, Oluyole, Lagelu, Egbeda and Akinyele LGAs received their trainings at Jesus The Rock Hall Jegede and ENIF Event Centre and Hotel, Akobo Ibadan, while those from Surulere and Ogo-Oluwa LGAs are converged at Resort Center Igbo Ile and Opete Community Hall, Otamokun respectively.
According to Folarin, “You will agree with me that there are no white-collar jobs for millions of Nigerian youths especially the the graduates. That is why I facilitated two different empowerment trainings for 1,500 youths with a view to taking them away from the unemployment market”.
“The programmes were designed to equip and empower the youths with ICT Skill Acquisition, and elementary management techniques for cooperators, Sole Traders and Partners in premise for self-reliance”.
“The world is now a global village, therefore Nigeria youths must recognise the role of Information Communication Technology (1CT) as a major driver of world economy and critical to our future as a nation. To this end, Nigerian youths are enjoined to leverage on digital knowledge and cooperative management techniques to curb the recurring menace of unemployment in Nigeria”.
The three-term Senator while urging the participants to practicalise what they have learnt during the trainings, pledged to further empower those that perform well months after the trainings. He explained that the programmes would go a long way in making the beneficiaries self-reliant.
Speaking on behalf of the 1000 Batch B beneficiaries drawn from the 11 LGAs of the district, Mr. Saheed Babatunde appreciated the three-term senator for the opportunities given to the selected youths.
