A crowd of Rivers people waiting to collect application forms for the Small and Medium-scale Enterprises Scheme of the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 2007. Photo: Chris Monyanaga

The Lagos State Government has empowered about 450 unemployed youths, who graduated from the states vocational and training centres with tools that will enable them practice their vocation as well as become employers of labour.

Speaking at the ceremony which held at Adeyemi- Gbero Auditorum in Alausa, Ikeja Lagos, Friday, the state Governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), described the development as a deliberate policy of government to eradicate poverty from the society. Our correspondence reports that Governor fashola, who was represented by his special Adviser on special duties, Mr Adekunle Odubela, said it was a further manifestation of the fruits of true democracy and good governance with the lives of the citizens receiving the necessary attention by their own government.

According to him, “since the administration of our immedicate predecessor, job creation, empowerment programme has been a key component of the 10-point agenda.”

He added that the present administration has also made it one of the major channels of empowering the people through programmes that will equip them with skills that can make them employers of labour and self-dependent.

He said the youth will be engaged in a more meaningful endeavour that would make them useful to themselves and the society at large, urging them to make the best use of opportunity.

“We believe that the provision of job opportunities and social amenities for the less privileged in the state creates the right environment for our people to realize their potentials, improve and enhance their living conditions,” he stressed.

Fashola stated that the only way to take youth out of crime and other social vices is to create the enabling environment for them to be gainfully employed.

He said the government “expects every resident in the state to be committed, dedicated and determined to support the policy thrust of the present administration on the provision of an enabling environment for the less privileged, especially the unemployed youths.”

The Governor noted that, by so doing, the youths would discover their potentials, enhance their creativity and self reliance.

He called on the many unemployed youths to utilize the opportunity the programme provided, adding that, “the government is ready to take them on board as the over all plan is to considerably reduce the desire for paid employment through constant organization of skill acquisition programmes.

Earlier, the commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Tola Kasali, who was represented by the Director of Finance, Mr Numdeen Salami, disclosed that each of the beneficiaries has the potentials of making an average income of about N20,000 per month after acquiring the necessary skills.

Kasali said the development would help boost government effort in ensuring life long income generation for the beneficiaries.