By Suleiman Shehu
The Federal Government says it plans to lift five million young Nigerians out of poverty through its skills acquisition and empowerment programmes designed to promote sustainable livelihoods.
The training, under the auspices of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE), Dr Abiola Arogundade, commenced its Oyo State phase on Monday and would end on Oct. 9.
Declaring the training open, Arogundade, said the Federal Government was committed to empowering Nigerians through the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).
She said the initiative was part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to equipping Nigerians with practical skills to become economically self-reliant.
Arogundade said the programme, which commenced in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had moved to Oyo and would be extended to other states and geo-political zones.
The presidential aide said that 200 youths would be trained in Graphics/Artificial Intelligence (AI), makeup and fashion designing under the Oyo State phase of the programme.
She said 30 participants would receive training in Graphics/AI, while 85 each would be trained in makeup and fashion designing.
According to her, beneficiaries would also be connected to organisations and business opportunities to enable them establish sustainable livelihoods after graduation.
“So with this programme, we are training 200 people. We will also be distributing 500 tablets during the grand finale of the programme as part of the Federal Government’s digital empowerment drive.
“We are directly empowering 700 people in this programme and there will be multiplier effect.
“We are not just training them for themselves but we are training them for their communities, for the population, and for all the states in Nigeria,” she said.
She urged the participants to take the training seriously and give their best to acquire skills that would enable them empower other members of their communities.
“I want to just encourage them to do their best.
“I want to encourage them to know that President Bola Tinubu is thinking about all Nigerians, all young Nigerians in the country and ready to address their plights,” she said.
Earlier, the keynote speaker for the Graphics/AI training, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, said the growing adoption of AI presented Nigeria with opportunities to accelerate development, improve employability and prepare young people for future jobs.
Shonubi said countries worldwide were making substantial investments in AI across critical sectors, stressing that Nigeria must not be left behind as the technology continued to gain global acceptance.
She commended the Federal Government for investing in the training and upskilling of young Nigerians, describing the initiative as relevant to preparing the country’s future workforce.
One of the beneficiaries of the Graphics/AI training, Idowu Olalere, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for providing young Nigerians with opportunities to acquire emerging digital skills.
Olalere, a 400-level student of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), said the training would help bridge the gap between young people’s existing skills and evolving labour market requirements.
Two other beneficiaries, Mrs Iyabo Ajayi, a makeup trainee, and Fatunbi Joshua, a fashion designing trainee, also thanked the Federal Government for the opportunity.
They expressed optimism that the initiative would contribute to reducing unemployment in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants would receive laptops, sewing machines and fully equipped makeup kits at the end of the training. (NAN)
Edited by Abdul Hassan/Muhyideen Jimoh
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