Guardian

LAGOS State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has commenced its regular Skill Acquired Training Programme at the instance of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire,

The training programme, which runs simultaneously in different locations across the state, is designed to train grassroots women and youth and make them self-dependent.

Ikorodu Constituency 1, Mosan Okunola Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Secretariat, Apapa, Coker Aguda and Mainland Local Governments are expected to benefit from the first phase of the programme, while other local councils will benefit in the second phase.

Ikorodu Constituency 1 and Mosan Okunola LCDA were among the constituency where the programme was held last week.

The programme is part of the ministry’s poverty reduction strategy in its renewed efforts to give youths and women vocations that will make them economically independent.

Speaking on the project, Honourable S.O.B. Agunbiade from Ikorodu Constituency 1 said that WAPA was about women, even though some men also participated in the programme.

According to him, participants at the event enjoyed free medical check ups conducted by the Ministry of Health, which carried out tests for breast cancer, hypertension and others.

Besides, he noted that the programme was not for fun, as it was created to make people self-employed.

He explained that at least 50 persons would be given stipends to start small businesses at the end of the event.

“Currently, about 100 people are enjoying interest-free loan from Skye Bank.”

One of the participants, Ogunfeyibo Adeolu, a retiree, said that he learnt a lot of things about soap making.

About 1, 000 persons participated in the programme, which were made up of almost 600 people from Ikorodu Constituency 1 and 400 people from Mosan Okunola.

The training was the ministry’s short-term programme from which 5,000 women and youths were expected to benefit. Various vocations such as balloon decorations, cake baking, pomade/soap making, beads stringing, weaving, hair dressing, insecticide production, stove thread making and event decoration, tie and dye were taught at the centres.