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By Merit Ibe
Chiefs and residents of the Ewekoro Community in Ogun State have called on the leading building and innovative solutions Company, Lafarge Africa Plc., to establish a full-fledged vocational training centre in Ewekoro where young school leavers would be trained in several vocations just like its Driving Institute and Cement Professional Technician Program Centre located within the company’s Ewekoro Cement Plants and other plants across the country.
This they believe will ensure ease of operation and quality control of the company’s empowerment scheme that is geared towards capacity building, skills acquisition; financial empowerment, job creation and curtailing of youth’s restiveness.
Baale of Elebute, Abdul Waheed Onigbinde, said: “There should be a full-fledged vocational training centre here in Ewekoro, a situation whereby trade masters would be sourced from outside for the trainees should be discouraged. Let’s get them here to train our youth. Lafarge needs to train our people themselves; for quality control and ease, it should be centralised, let Lafarge train them here and get start-up kits for them to start themselves up after the training.”
Modinat Bolasodun, an elder in the community while appreciating the company for the initiatives requested increased slots for the host communities in all of the company’s training centres in Ewekoro and other places noting that the communities stand to benefit more.
“We appreciate the Cement Professional Technician Programme and we want Lafarge to increase the host community’s slots, especially for the Ewekoro community at the training school.”
We also want Lafarge Africa to employ the trainees since it would be a waste of time and resources if they were being trained and not employed by Lafarge Africa, it would amount to working for somebody else’s interest,” she said.
Also, Dauda Sekone, one of the youth leaders in the Ewekoro community commended the building solutions company for the various interventions and support it has been rendering to the communities.
“What Lafarge Africa has done for us in the Ewekoro community is uncountable; they have executed several interventions on education, skills acquisition, youth empowerment, community projects, elderly care, and agricultural intervention, among others. They have changed our lives and economies for the better, and we can only ask for more like Oliver Twist.”
“My son was not only trained and set up by Lafarge Africa but was also allowed to sew school uniforms for pupils in various schools across the community, thereby employing some other youths as helping hands,” he added.
Similarly, many of the beneficiaries noted that the company’s CSR initiatives have positively impacted their lives as many youths have been gainfully employed in addition to several job opportunities being created.
One of the beneficiaries, Tosin Akinbobola, a pioneer trainee of the company’s Cement Professional Technician Program (CPTP), commended Lafarge Africa for changing his life for the better with the CPTP scheme, which according to him has made it possible for him to become the breadwinner of his nuclear and extended families.
“I was lucky to be one of the first set of Cement Professional Technician Program at Ewekoro under the late Dr. Agbede. We went through a rigorous and intensive class which made me stand out in my previous place of internship. Today, I am back at Ewekoro and I am enjoying the quality of my job and contribution coming from me to Lafarge Africa’s Cement Plant.”
Ashimiu Sanni, a barber from Elebute in the Ewekoro community, while narrating his experience said: “I finished my vocational training as a barber but my parents could not afford start-up tools for me. They however approached Lafarge Africa for assistance, today, I was not only offered start-up tools to set up a barbershop here in Ewekoro but was also given money to pay rent for my shop and other necessities. Now I can afford to feed my family. I thank you very much, Lafarge Africa”, he said.
Another beneficiary, Gbemisola Olukemi, a hairdresser from Papalanto, who also benefited from the company’s empowerment scheme said, “I thank Lafarge Africa’s Committee on Ewekoro Development for provision of a hair dryer as well as other start-up tools and a furnished shop. I couldn’t buy them if not for Lafarge Africa Plc.”
