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Mrs. Abimbola Fashola (R) presenting a unit of Hewlett Packard Desktop Computer to one of the Graduates of Skill Acquisition Program.


Graduates of Skill Acquisition Program organized by Senator Olorunimbe Mamora for the Lagos East Senatorial District.

Speeches

Feb 19, 2010 - Graduation Of Trainees In The Lagos East Senatorial District

Today is another memorable day in the lives of the people of Lagos East Senatorial District as we gather to witness the graduation of trainees on vocation including bead making, repair of generator, computer operation, soap making, Tye and dye and hairdressing.

I congratulate our distinguished Senator Olorunimbe Mamora who has not only been a worthy representative of Lagos State in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but has also demonstrated strong commitment towards empowering the good people of his constituency in particular and Lagos State as a whole.

It is no longer a secret that provision of job opportunities for the teeming youth is one of the major challenges facing our nation. The resultant effect of this worrisome situation is being manifested in the various anti social activities that have become regular occurrences in our society.

Today, we are witnesses to the demonstration of roles we can play as individuals to support our immediate communities and to bring about that positive change that we all desire. It is also a fact that vocational skill acquisition is very essential to addressing the unemployment challenges among our youths who roam the streets everyday in search of very limited white collar jobs.

It is time for us to change our orientation towards vocational skills acquisition which many of us see as demeaning and only meant for those who could not cope with the requirement of academics. Remember that we all cannot be Bankers, Doctors, Nurses etc we must have people in the other professions such as Electrician, Refrigerator repairers among others. The truth however, which we as parent especially and the society must continue to emphasize to our youths is the wisdom in combining academic certificates with at least one vocational skill which if sufficiently developed may become a major source of livelihood in addition to being proud employers of labour.

I would like to congratulate all the graduating students for successfully completing this training programme. I want to assure you that you have taken a wise decision to partake in this programme in the last 6 months, you and your family greatly benefit from it if only you remain committed, dedicated and focussed. Remember, you have been taught to fish. It is now your responsibility to take it up from this point and believe me, the sky can only be the beginning

I wish you best of luck and pray that God almighty will crown all your efforts with success.

Finally, I congratulate the National Directorate of Employment for partnering with our distinguished Senator Olorunimbe Mamora to make this programme a reality.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Eko o ni baje o.

Her Excellency
Mrs. Abimbola Fashola
First Lady of Lagos State