By Daniel Njienue, March 14, 2019/education
83 graduands have completed their various courses in Flexible Skills Development Centre on Vegetable Farming, Video Camera Operation and Editing at the Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos; sponsored by Jaiz Charity Development Foundation.
However, the centre, established by YABATECH in April 2016 in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), was aimed at developing and teaching of Non-formal Courses in the college. Interesting, the graduates went home with tools and cash to start their own businesses. In his short address, the centre’s Director, Dr Ibrahim Abdul noted that part of the institution’s community service is to make people in the environment acquire skills and relevant self-development for sustainable future. He stresseed further:
“It also encourages the academic departments in the college to develop and offer short flexible courses to learners with the aim of empowering them to be entrepreneurs,”
Advising the graduands is the Deputy Rector of the College, Mrs Titilayo Ukabam charged them to start businesses with the skills acquired. “That is the only way by which you can actualise what you have been thought. “This is the only way you can continue to grow, because if you delay in starting, the tendency is that you will not actualise and actualisation is the key,”
Continuing, Mrs. Ukabam, commended the effort of the graduating students: “I want to commend your determination to finish the course. Today, we are satisfied that you have indeed acquired the skills to stand on your own and keep on growing and contributing to the society as well as increasing your economic base without looking up to anybody or family members before you feed yourselves”
“You need to employ people as well to assist when your business has grown bigger. We expect that you should become an employer of labours, we don’t want unemployment in Nigeria and before you know it, you will begin to grow.”
Meanwhile, JAIZ Charity Development Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Imam Abdullahi Shuaib said the college’s programme was sponsored because it is in line with their focus area.“When we look at it, we see that the request is in line with our focus area and after dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, today it has become a success story that we are showcasing a set of Nigerians who have passions, who have commitment, who are equally determined to also show the good work that YABATECH, particularly Flexible Skills Development Centre has packaged not only for Nigerians but for the whole world to see and you are now the ambassadors of this centre. Go out there and show the world that the programme is not only doable but can make a positive impact on the larger society. With this, other people will give it the required attention and expand it beyond what it is today. So you are carrying the label, and that label is a positive one,” he said. According to him, the tools and cash given to the graduates were meant to help them start businesses immediately. He said: “Without much ado, we have no doubt in our minds that we are all set to open a new page and to do something positive for ourselves, our immediate families, environments and our country as a whole. “Always have positive mind-sets, what we are doing today may look so small but I want to assure you that as small as it is today, you have acquired the required skills. We want you not just as entrepreneurs but mentors for those who have been sitting on the fence or those that felt it was just a mere talk at the starting point. And they will come back and ask how you did it.”
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