Oyo State government has empowered and trained 1,187 secondary school students in various acquisition skills in different eight vocational

centres across the state.

The state governor, Senator Abiola Aimobi while speaking at the first Oyo State Students Vocational Skills Acquisition programme held at the Assembly Hall of Lagelu Grammar School, Agugu,Ibadan, disclosed that his administration would not rest on its oars until all the youths in the state

are efficiently prepared for the challenges of a changing and demanding world

economy through empowerment that involves skills acquisition.

The Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo said in a statement in Ibadan yesterday that the secondary school students were trained in areas that included bead making, photography, TV/video production, ICT,

barbing, aluminum, catering, tie and dye and carpentry, among others.

The governor noted that skills acquisition was essential in the task of assisting the youth to stand on their own in a world where white-collar jobs were becoming too scarce.``Governments all over the world have the responsibility of focusing attention on the future of the children and the youth.

This is exactly what this administration has been doing since its advent. One of the ways we have been doing this is through organizing programmes such as this that will direct the attention and energies of our children towards productive ventures. This is with a view to benefiting the family as a unit, the immediate society and the nation at large,’’ the governor said. 

According to him, the programme was in tandem with the Federal Ministry of Education’s new trade curriculum which promotes skills acquisition.

Governor Ajimobi congratulated all the 1,187 participating students for being

lucky to have acquired practical knowledge of the skills enumerated in the 34

senior secondary school trade curriculum developed by the Nigerian

Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

Speaking, the Wife of the State Governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi said the skills acquisition programme initiated by the state government would provide

ample opportunity for the participating students to unleash their innate

potentials and thus prepare them for future challenges.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Busari Adebisi, commended Governor Ajimobi for clearing all the rots inherited by his administration, particularly from the education

sector and for laying a solid foundation for the educational advancement of the youth in the state.

Two of the participating students, Ogrima Rasheed and Orolade Odunola, in their remarks, expressed determination to make use of the skills acquired from the training upon completion of their respective studies.