Ekiti unemployed women, youths urged to acquire entrepreneurial skills

Unemployed women and youths in Ekiti State have been advised to take advantage of the Women Development and Skill Acquisition Centre at Igede-Ekiti in the Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government area of the state to acquire the necessary skills that will make them economically viable and self-reliant. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social […]

Unemployed women and youths in Ekiti State have been advised to take advantage of the Women Development and Skill Acquisition Centre at Igede-Ekiti in the Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government area of the state to acquire the necessary skills that will make them economically viable and self-reliant.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Foluke Adeyemo, who gave the advice yesterday while leading a delegation of officials of her ministry on tour of locations of all government intervention centres under the purview of the ministry, expressed her displeasure at the underutilization of facilities at the Centre.

Adeyemo, who expressed her sadness at the high poverty and unemployment levels of the generality of Ekiti people, charged the Centre’s Principal and instructors to intensify efforts at creating the necessary awareness on the numerous benefits of the Centre.

She advised them to be more proactive and creative, saying this would not only enable them come up with various innovative ideas that would assist the Centre to be more functional, it would equally improve students’ enrolment figures.

Adeyemo listed what the Centre was capable of doing to include handling of different training exercises, and courses in catering, hotel management, hairdressing, sewing & knitting, computer & secretariat studies, textile technology (tie and dye) and electrical/electronics.

The Centre’s Principal, Mr Olaoye Oladele, who appealed to community and religious leaders, traditional rulers and the state government to assist the Centre in creating the necessary awareness on the importance of skills acquisition for women and youth, observed that proper utilisation of the Centre would drastically reduce the rate of unemployment and poverty in the state.

Oladele called on all well-to-do individuals and corporate organisations within Nigeria and in the diaspora to support the efforts of the state government in making life more bearable for Ekiti people.

He highlighted the challenges of the institution to include shortage of personnel, lack of funds and the need to generally renovate the Centre, including the school hall, which he believed would generate more revenue into the coffers of the state.