Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA). Lagos state, Mrs Cecelia Dada, has said that skills acquisition training is targeted at alleviating women from dependency to independent.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of a four-week Short-Term Skills Acquisition Training for women in Omajuwa Community, Agboyi, Ketu LCDA, held on Friday at Catholic Church of the Resurrection, (CCR) Magodo Phase 2, Shangisa, Lagos, Dada said the ministry had done so much as regards the training but still not enough.
She urged women who had yet to key into the training to do so.
According to her, the Lagos State Government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, embarked on vocational trainings across the state with particular focus on women, as a means to curb unemployment and empower citizens toward self-reliance to achieve a viable economy.
“It is noteworthy to say that all the training programmes are tuition-free.
“So far, 12,500 trainees have graduated from this Short-Term programme since 2019, and it cut across all women living in Lagos State, irrespective of your political, religious and ethnics affiliation.
“One salient reason for this sense of direction is that this present administration, under the able leadership of Gov. Sanwo-Olu, has taken women empowerment as one of its focal policies in order to mitigate the effects of poverty prevalent among women,” she added.
She expressed delight at the handwork exhibited by graduands in catering confectioneries, Ankara craft/leather works, hairdressing/wig making, production of soaps, pomade and household insecticides, tie/dye Adire and others skills learnt in the period.
The President of Catholic Women Organisation (CWO) of CCR Magodo parish, Lady Tonia Ozoede, described the training as a wonderful gesture and applauded the Lagos State Government and WAPA for its commitment to activities of the training.
Ozoede said the women had learnt lots of skills as displayed, adding that there would be monitored to ensure they lived up to expectations.
“The impressive thing about the programme is that the Lagos Government trained them for free and further empowered them with working tools.
“That’s highly commendable”.
According to her, for the fact that Lagos State Government has zero tolerance to idleness being the reason for this programme, I am going to monitor you and make sure that you use the tools, get busy and productive.
“It is, therefore, fundamental that you must work, having learnt a skill, use it to assist your partners and also take-up some responsibilities in the home to relieve burden,” she added.
Also, the parish administrator, Rev. Father Paul Bastos thanked the Lagos State Government led by Gov. Sanwo-Olu, said the administration had well by training and empowering over 12,000 trainees.
He, however warned the beneficiaries not to store or sell the empowerment tools, but should rather, use it to establish business according to skills learnt as a payback for the state government kind gesture.
Permanent Secretary, WAPA, Mrs Oluyemi Kalesanwo, in her closing remark, said the programme was initiated to reduce the plight of beneficiaries, directed toward their financial independence and development of Lagos State.
