The Ajia Balogun Olubadan, Oloye Adegboyega Adegoke on Wednesday advised states and federal government in Nigeria to invest more on vocational studies for the youths.
Oloye Adegoke stated this while speaking with newsmen at the graduation and distribution of working tools to 175 youth by a non-governmental organisation, Adegboyega Adegoke Resource Centre (AARC) in Ibadan.
He pointed out that for government to effectively reduce the various social vices among the youth, there is need to positively engage them through handiwork rather than focusing on white collar jobs
He said, AARC has so far trained and empowered over 200 youth with requisite entrepreneurial skills to be self-reliance.
“There is poverty and unemployment in the land coupled with the consequences such as social vices, which we can reduce drastically if the government, corporate bodies, foundation and individual philanthropist can invest in vocational studies, by doing so many youths will be engaged and they will be far away from social vices, that can dent their image and that of their families”, he said.
“In my own little way in contributing to youth development and poverty alleviation, my foundation, Adegboyega Adegoke Resource Centre has device a vocational training for youths in several aspects such as candle and soap making, hairdressing, chalk making, tailoring, computer engineering, POP and others.
Continuing he said, “we are presenting working tools to about 75 of them today, out of 200 as first batch to follow the COVID-19 protocol, another two batches will follow in the next few weeks’ time. Parts of what we are distributing include sewing machines, hair dryer, laptops and computers, generators, cash and other working implements”.
Emphasizing that when youths are engaged and impacted with Knowledge through vocational training and studies, social vices and poverty would be reduced to the barest minimal, Oloye Adegoke said, “we have trained people on how to be self-reliant and to become an entrepreneur. This will help in alleviating the poverty level in the state and country at large, and to generate income for themselves. The way the country is going now, you cannot rely on white collar job.
