Peter Anosike
Saturday, December 21, would always remain green in the minds of women and youths of Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency 2. That was the day their representative in the House of Representatives, Abiodun Ganiyu Johnson, invited the Projects Development Institute, Enugu, to give them a life time empowerment.
The skill acquisition training was done in collaboration with Charity Creation and Molar Investment Concept. They were trained on the production of liquid soaps, air freshener, disinfectants and other products. At the end of the training, they were given certificates as well as seed money to start what they have learnt.
Johnson said: “When you train people with skills and they grow and train others, unemployment would drastically reduce in the society. When I was campaigning, I told the people that if they give me their mandate that I would help to alleviate their poverty by organising skill acquisition programmes for them.
“That is what is going on today. It is also my desire to train as many as one thousand youths and women before the end of this democratic dispensation. My prayer is that they would not divert the seed money, which would be given to them at the end of the training to another thing. There is dignity in labour.
“As long as you are working and taking care of your needs, you are bound to be proud of yourself. The seed money that would be given to them is to enable them to start what they learnt and those who are doing well would be receiving further support like assisting them to get NAFDAC numbers for their businesses.”
Chairman of Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Samsudeen Olaleye, describing the skill acquisition training as life changing for the participants. He said he noticed the seriousness in the participants and urged them not to dump what they learnt at the training.
He said everybody must try to be produce as that is the only way to grow the nation`s economy: “It is those who are not productive that blame government for not living up to expectation.
“He warned the participants to learn how to plough back their profit into the business so that they would stabilise and employ others.”
An official of PRODA, Solomon Iwu, said the idea is to transfer skills to the unemployed so that they would be able to feed well and cater for the other of their needs: “There is no saturation in the market. Whatever anybody produces, he or she would sell.”
The participants promised not to divert their take-off funds into other things but rather, would work assiduously to employ other people. Tessy Uwalaka, a participant, described the training as one of the best things to have ever happened to her. She promised to use what she had learnt to better her lot and that of others around her.