About sixty orphans and youths have benefited from Skills Acquisition Training programme in Ibadan, Oyo State organised by Total Parental Guidance Orphanage, a non-governmental organisation (NGO).
The training saw the beneficiaries graduate in different areas of crafts, such as beads making, pedicure, snacks making, soap, make-up facial, fashion, event centre decoration, air freshener making, hair dressing, photography, fine arts, computer coding and programming, among others.
At the event, which is the first held at the Orphanage home, located around Oluyole Estate, Ring Road, Ibadan, the beneficiaries received their certificates at an elaborate graduating ceremony
Mobolaji Oladepo, organiser of the programme, said that the initiative was aimed at encouraging the youths, especially the orphans in taking up their own businesses in the drive towards self reliance and reduction of unemployment in the society.
Oladepo said he was worried by the rising rate of unemployment and degrading values in the country, hence, the need for the intervention
While attributing corruption and maladministration by successive Nigerian government as indicators of unemployment in the country, Oladepo stressed that the nation’s oil wealth as well as other material and human resources have not been properly managed as to make the average Nigerian benefit from them, adding that successive Nigerian governments have paid lip service to the problem of mass unemployment and poverty.
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He added that the increase in population made it difficult for the government to cope with the army of unemployed youth after graduation.
To make the education responsive to the need of the nations and to provide employment to the youth, he said, it became imperative that education should be directed towards improving the knowledge and skills of the Nigerian youths.
“There should be an overhaul of existing skills acquisition programmes to make them more functional and effective through the revival of Vocational and Technical Education/Schools. The ITF should be strengthened to provide effective linkage.
“Adequate financial support should be made to the ITF to support the establishment of skills acquisition centres across the country. There should be funding of skills acquisition projects through revolving loans for take-off,” he posited.
Segun Ogungbe, director of the orphanage, while urging the beneficiaries to strive to excel in their chosen fields, as they stand on the brink of moving into a new life beyond the process of acquiring different skills, stressed that change would be inevitable. He said “it is indeed gratifying to see our graduating trainees matured and become skills proficient, ready to tackle the career in their chosen fields.
“It gives me great joy to see myself giving back to the society. I am really fulfilled by what I have been able to contribute in my little way to the society.
“What they have acquired is a legacy and it depends on if they put the acquired skills into good use of the benefit of mankind.”
Beneficiaries of the training expressed gratitude to the sponsor and the management for affording them opportunity to be self-reliant.
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