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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
As part of the efforts to crush the growing unemployment and crime rate in the country, the Rotary Club of Abuja, Lugbe in partnership with the Rotary Club of Abuja, Asokoro Diamond, recently organised a skills acquisition programme for secondary school students in Abuja.
Speaking during the programme held at the Government Secondary School, Lugbe recently, Ms Adeleke Shola Ayanronke, President, Rotary Club of Abuja, Asokoro said education was no longer enough as people now needed entrepreneurial skills that would empower them to become job creators rather than job seekers.
She noted that unemployment posed a significant challenge in many Nigeria today, which had led to economic instability and social unrest.
Ayoronke said that by empowering young people with entrepreneurial skills that were in demand in the job market, unemployment and crime rates could be significantly reduced. She said: “We are here to teach our Interactors and students of GSS Lugbe how to produce some products such as liquid soap and bleach for house use, and also commercialize it and be doing it on the side while facing their studies.
“In Nigeria today, I believe that education alone is not enough. We need hand work. We need to teach our children skills just like what we are doing to prepare them for a future of self-sufficiency.”
Similarly, Taofeek Mogaji, Past President, of the Rotary Club of Lugbe FHA said it early development of an entrepreneurship mindset among school-age kids was necessary to promote creativity and innovation.
Mogaji who lauded the recent government’s initiative to certify artisans, said this would go a long way in curbing the exodus of young people from Nigeria to other nations in search of greener pastures as well as boost the economy.
He said: “I would say that the youths should keep hope alive. Nigeria is a vast country that even the foreigners whose countries we go to also struggle to get Nigerian visas because they know that Nigeria is the land of milk and honey. So, I urge the youths to see that there is a future in this country. Let’s go into manufacturing, innovation and technologies that can drive other parts of the world to come and see that Nigerians can also do it well.
“Like what the federal government is doing, trying to ensure that artisans are certified. It is applaudable. This will help to bridge the gap between those who know the job practically and those who only know it theoretically.
On her part, Ms Adetundun Adeyemi Ayeni, Rotary President of Rotary Club of Abuja, Lugbe FHA said the organisation had six core areas of focus which are spread across the various months of the year.
