From John Silas
The member, Federal House of Representative for Ojo Lagos Constituency, Hon. Seyi Sowunmi on Saturday, flagged-off the constituency’s state of the art skills acquisition centre to gainfully engaged youths in the area.
The centre, equipped with 60 tailoring machines, body massage, hair dressing, catering and others is situated at Era Ojo area.
The initiative would equip people in:
computer hardware/gsm repair, garment making, digital skills for girls in public secondary schools.
Others were beauty and cosmetology, agro-processing and modern farming.
Mechanical and construction-related trades and financial literacy.
“But more than teaching skills, we want to help our participants transform their training into real businesses through mentorship, guidance, and continuous support,”
It was at the instance of the Hon. Seyi Sowunmi to bolster youth capacity building.
The project, a continuation of the Ojo Girls in STEM 2.0 held last year to commiserate the international day of the Girl Child, focused on teenage girls capacity building.
STEM career pathfield is the Federal Ministry of Education programme designed to equip people with practical skills for employment, entrepreneurship and self reliance.
Participants would be given monthly stipends for six months, hands-on training, recognised certifications, starter packs upon graduation to begin careers and access to grants and business loans is also assured.
Speaking at the event, attended by party faithful, community leaders, students and women, Hon. Sowunmi said that, his vision to make Ojo an entrepreneur hub is becoming a reality.
The Reps member with flair for people empowerment, described skill acquisition as a weapon against poverty, tasked youths to avail themselves of the opportunity to self-reliant.
He said “Today, we begin a program that puts our people at the centre.
It is about your growth, your empowerment, your opportunities.
“The Ojo Skills Acquisition and Capacity Building Programme is not just another initiative. It is a seed we are planting for a stronger and more prosperous Ojo.
“Ojo is a constituency blessed with vibrant markets, brilliant youths, creative artisans, determined women, and hardworking residents. But many in our community still struggle with unemployment, underemployment, and lack of access to opportunities.
“We all know young people in Iba, Okokomaiko, Ijanikin, Ojo town, Alaba, Agbara axis, and the many communities within our constituency who have the passion to succeed, but not the platform.
“That is why we are here today
to give our people the platform they deserve.
“The truth is simple: the world no longer rewards certificates alone.
The world rewards skills, innovation, creativity, and competence.
“A degree opens a door,
but skills build the house.
“In a constituency as entrepreneurial as Ojo with places like Alaba International Market, one of the biggest electronics markets in Africa , where entrepreneurial skills are its driving force simply means that- skills are not optional. They are survival.They are power.
They are wealth,” he said.
He said that from tech skills to electrical work, from fashion to beauty, from welding to catering, from digital marketing to fashion designing skilled people run the economy.
It is our vision to turn Ojo into a hub of skilled, employable, and self-reliant individuals.
A constituency where our young people do not wait endlessly for government jobs.
A constituency where women can start small businesses that support their families.
Recall that the honourable had earlier empowered no fewer than 100 persons with the Point of Sale (POS) machine to earn a living.
A constituency where talent is matched with training. A constituency where your hands and your creativity can feed you with or without a certificate.
