•Empowers 32 petty traders, others
THE Senator representing the Lagos Central District at the upper legislative chamber, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has urged Nigerian youths to prioritise self-development by learning skills that can take them from poverty and prepare them for the workforce because it has become obvious that government cannot provide employment for every job seeker.
Senator Tinubu, who made the remark at the Lagos Central Senatorial District town hall meeting in Lagos yesterday, said the increasing level of unemployment in Nigeria is worrisome and that innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship are the country’s way out of the conundrum.
The town hall meeting, the 21st in the series since she was elected to the Senate in 2011, took place under the theme: Encouraging Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity.
The Senator said the recent visit of Facebook founder, Mark Zukerberg, to the country, to encourage small technology startups in Yaba, which is part of the Lagos Central Senatorial District, is remarkable because it suggests that Nigeria is transiting to an entrepreneurial and knowledge-based economy.
She added: “His visit in itself is a pat on the back for techpreneurs and startups; a reiteration of the fact that our great nation is riddled with great talents who defy all odds to excel in whatever endeavours they set their hearts upon; and a restatement of the endless possibilities available to us.”
Senator Tinubu enjoined the youths to start small. She said: “There is nothing wrong in starting. Even I and indeed many great people around the world came from small beginnings. Small businesses are the big ideas of tomorrow.”
In this regard, she praised the effort of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State towards establishing a technology hub “to create enabling environment for our youth to thrive, to be more creative and enterprising”.
She said: “We give kudos to our governor, His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who on January 29, 2017 presented cheques of almost N1 billion to 705 beneficiaries of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in actualization of our party’s campaign promise to provide support to our youth, entrepreneurs, artisans, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other unemployed residents of Lagos State to develop and enhance their businesses.
“The beneficiaries received varying amounts ranging from N50,000 to N5,000. The scheme selects beneficiaries from all the local government areas and local council development areas (LCDAs); and I urge everyone in our senatorial district to take advantage of the programme and apply.”
Senator Tinubu said the Lagos Central District has been working hard to kick-start and encourage the entrepreneurial journey and skills development of its youth, through the various schemes she has put in place.
For instance, at yesterday’s town hall meeting, 32 petty traders received N50,000 each from the Senator under her Petty Traders’ Empowerment Scheme (PETECS). This is to enable the recipients invest in their already existing businesses.
Senator Tinubu noted that in previous times, beneficiaries under the scheme had received the sum of N20,000, but that she increased the sum to N50,000 this time around because of the general increase in the price of commodities.
Under the Youth Employment and Skills Acquisition Scheme (YESAS), she said five youths nominated by the district’s Senatorial Youth Leader, Prince Hammed Olanrewaju Mohammed, from the local government areas that make up the district were sponsored by her to attend the African Youth Initiative on Crime Prevention Conference in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), between October 26 and 27, 2016.
On November 10, 2016, 36 youths from the Navy, Army, Police and Air Force barracks within the district were also presented with sewing machines and 2.5 KVA generators, as part of the Senator’s empowerment scheme. The beneficiaries were nominated by their various Women Leaders at the barracks.
14 All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Leaders in the district, headed by its District Woman Leader, Mrs. Fadekemi Otitonaye, also received three building block-making machines and the sum of N500,000 to start a cooperative.
In her Zonal Intervention Projects, Senator Tinubu is providing toilet facilities with motorized boreholes for 21 primary and secondary schools within the district at the cost of N213 million through the Federal Ministry of Education.
She added that an additional list of 20 schools within the district has been forwarded to the Committee on Appropriation to be included in the 2017 Zonal Intervention Projects to also benefit from the provision of toilet facilities with motorized boreholes.
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