..Home Gardening, Financial literacy, event planning, business name registration, solar installation top activities

Trainees at the ongoing one-month Ondo State Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Programme, initiated by the Wife of Ondo State Governor, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu for indigent women selected across the Southern Senatorial district of the state, have demonstrated a significant level of advancement in acquisition of knowlegde in their chosen skills, for three weeks of intensive training.

The Trainees, who were resolute and unswerving in their determination to become employers of labour, used the week Three to advance their knowledge and showcased their level of improvement through practical demonstrations of what they were taught since the beginning of the programme.

For the general class lessons for the third week, they were taught how to cultivate home gardens and agricultural practices that are suitable for home gardening. The home gardening class was handled by an agricultural expert from the Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Dr. Grace Ajayi, who educated them on different types of home gardens that could meet their immediate consumption needs and also earn them income, like snail rearing, fish farming, sacks and greenhouse gardens, rabbit keeping amongst others.

Furthermore, the general class for the week Three covered lectures on Financial Literacy which was taken by the Special Assistant to the State Governor on Micro credit, Mr Yomi Egbukuyomi and an enlightenment talk on the need to register a business name with the Corporate Affairs Commission taken by the Personal Assistant to the Governor, Miss Nonyalim Okafor; while a lecture on Event Planning was taken by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Gender, Mrs Ngozi Igbo-Okoro.

Still on the summary of the general class’ activities for the third week, the trainees progressed with lessons on the production of household items like antiseptic liquids, Airfreshener and disinfectants and the production processes were singlehandedly carried out by the trainees, without the involvement of the class’ facilitators to demonstrate their level of assimilation.

For the special classes, those in the ICT/Solar technology class were taught basic solar installation, battery connection, panel installation’s safety guides including the use of Personal Protective Equipment like hard hat and safety gloves. The solar technology class was rounded off for the week with the installation of solar home system which they all practicalised.

The ICT training for the week covered Internet safety tips, Microsoft PowerPoint and the introduction to graphic design using Adobe illustrator.

The Trainees in Baking and Confectioneries class were taught how to make peppered chinchin, baking of chocolate and coconut cakes; while the trainees also practicalised their previous knowledge of egg rolls and puffpuff making to wound up the week three’s activities.

The bag making trainees were exposed to how to make beautiful, handy female purses and men’s cross bags; while the fashion design class continued with the cutting and sewing of different styles of dresses including gowns, jumpsuit, etc.

The hairdressing trainees displayed an appreciable level of skilfulness they’ve acquired within the first two weeks and made braided hairstyles, wigs and weaving, while the makeup and Gele tying class didn’t relent in practising different modern facial beautification patterns.

Meanwhile, the OSSA-EP 2023 edition, a pre-event activity for the forthcoming 5th summit of the Foundation for Wives of Ondo State Officials and Female Political Appointees, has attracted lots of commendable appraisals from within and outside Nigeria.

The empowerment initiative has been assessed by many individuals as one that is, indeed, needed to eradicate or minimise feminised poverty in the society.

The fact that some of the trainers are alumnae of the BeMore Empowered Foundation and the OSSA-EP first set of trainees, further justified its objective purpose of bringing women out of poverty, as they would be paid for the services rendered.

“Teaching Ondo State women” how to kill fish” as facilitated by the First Lady Chief Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu is an effort worth appraising. I call on other notable and prominent stakeholders in Nigeria to please wake up to their social responsibilities by emulating HE, Arabinrin Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu who is so engrossed with proactive actions aimed at raising the socio-economic baseline of many people in Ondo state and beyond. By so doing, the common enemy of Nigerians-Poverty would be defeated”, says Mr
Tosin Obamoyegun.

Also commenting, another social media follower of the programme, Tchidi Jacobs said: ” Absolutely amazing. It’s inspiring to see how these little BEMORE girls have been transformed into impact-makers in such a short time. This program should be used as a case study, to demonstrate how women and girls can truly transform society when empowered. Thank you Your Excellency Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu for your exemplary leadership and investment in these young women who are now following in your footsteps remarkably”.


e-signed:
Mary Agidi
Special Assistant to the Governor on Media (Office of the First Lady)
11/10/2023

📸 Credit: Saidu Abdulrahman