The grand finale of the month long training and empowerment programme organized by Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), Ilorin, was held on Thursday, October 26, 2023, with the distribution of sewing machines and other working tools to 25 beneficiaries of the first batch of the programme.
In his address, the Director-General of the institute, Comrade Issa Aremu, stated that the programme was aimed at complementing the Federal Government’s 8-point agenda with respect to job creation and poverty alleviation, adding that it would improve the employability of youths in the country.
The Director General disclosed that the Institute would work towards expanding it to accommodate more skills as well as beneficiaries, in skill areas as photography, cinematography, tie and die as well as agro-business.
He further charged the beneficiaries to consider their empowerment an investment and strive to invest in others.
One of the beneficiaries who spoke on behalf of beneficiaries, Miss Mary Frances, expressed deep appreciation to the Institute for creating a pathway that has transformed them from job seekers to entrepreneurs, and pledged that they would work hard to justify the efforts and resources the Institute had committed in ensuring the success of the programme.
Dignitaries who included KWARA representative of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Michael Orodiran, the Onikotun of Ikotun, HRH Dr. Abdulrazaq Adebayo Abioye, the State Coordinator of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mrs Folashade Lanre-Ogun as well as the Co-Founder of Lifefount Foundation, Dr (Mrs) Yemisi Adeyeye, commended the Institute for initiating such a programme that will take youths off the streets, and charged the beneficiaries to keep updating their knowledge and skills in the ever evolving world of fashion and to maximize the opportunities digital technology offers them in building their skills in the trade.
Other dignaties who graced the occasion include the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Workforce Strategy and Enlightenment Centre (NIWOSEC), Mrs Ann Oluleye, the Director of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency in Nigeria (SMEDAN), Kwara State as well as representatives of the NLC, TUC, NASU and SSAUTHRAI
