Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has urged Local Governments and Local Council Development areas to put more focus on skill acquisition programmes, noting that they were the key ways of eradicating poverty and achieving economic prosperity.
Represented by Vincent Abimbola, a director in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Orelope-Adefulire made the appeal at the closing ceremony of the short term skill acquisition programmes at Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area organised by the Lagos State government.
At least 800 beneficiaries were presented with certificates at the ceremony, after four weeks of intensive training in various vocations.
While thanking the Mosan-Okunola LCDA for the support given to the beneficiaries throughout the period, the deputy governor noted that the mission to eradicate poverty in the state and empower the people is a collective effort, and an initiative which must be supported by government at all levels, adding that the ministry was using the short term programme currently running in five local governments to accommodate many residents who were unavailable for the long-term classes at the various skill acquisition centres.
Chairman of the LCDA, Rasheed Mafe, praised the state government for organising the programme.
He also appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of all they had learnt and pledged that the LCDA in conjunction with the ministry would provide soft loans for the best 100 beneficiaries of the programme to start their own business.
