Chinwendu Obienyi
In a bid to create employment, Sagamites Club, a private socio-economic organisation said that it would empower start-ups with entrepreneurial skills in Ogun State.
Mr Seni Adetu, Sagamites President, stated this at the club’s Leadership Empowerment Conference in Lagos at the weekend.
Adetu said that the club made up of business executives across various sectors of the economy, would empower and finance 10 start-ups with quuality entrepreneurial skills to boost employment and reduce societal vices.
According to him, the club’s business support funds will be for 10 most qualified would-be-entrepreneurs who will be selected based on merit and business proposition.
He stated that the empowerment programme slated for Oct. 27 would also involve mentorship sessions for youths in the environment.
“It is a privilege to support the less-privilege; we are inspired by the fact that we are positioned to be of help in changing the narrative of our community, especially the youths,” Adetu said.
He stated that the club made up of business executives had taken it upon themselves to enrich their community and commercially empower its citizens.
“Our commitment to this cause is motivated by our conviction that we have reached a point in our life cycle in Nigeria where the government alone cannot provide all of the economic opportunities required to have self-sustaining citizenry.
“We can blame the government all day long and accuse our youth of being lazy but our view is that, it’s better to spin our situation positively and change the narrative,” Adetu stated.
Adetu said that top business leaders in the private and public sectors had been selected to share their career experiences at the event.
He said that some of the top busines leaders were Prof. Toyin Ogundipe, Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Mr Segun Ogunsanya of Airtel Nigeria and Mr Fatai Folarin, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte Nigeria/West Africa, among others.
Also speaking, Engr Funbi Dawodu, Sagamites Vice President, said that the club was committed to wealth creation and employment generation.
Dawodu said that the club was determined to erase the impression of Sagamu as a place with societal vices to an entrepreneurial community.
He said that the club apart from the leadership empowerment initiative also had a special fund for scholarship.
Dawodu said that the Sagamites club was founded in 1972 and had since then been a major force for good in the Remo community and indeed Ogun State.