No fewer than 500 youths on Thursday graduated from a one-month skills acquisition programme organised by the Agege Local Government in collaboration with Oladele Inspires Initiatives.
The training, tagged “Get Ahead Boot Camp 4.0,” was designed to engage teenagers during the long holiday by equipping them with practical skills in photography, cinematography, drone piloting and graphic design, among others.
Speaking at the presentation of certificates to the participants at the Agege Local Government Secretariat, the council Chairman, Mr Vinod Obasa, said his administration had, through the initiative and other programmes, kept about 4,000 young people engaged throughout the holiday period.
He said about 2,000 of the youths participated in weekly sporting activities, while others were engaged in various productive programmes.
Obasa said the objective was to keep young people productively occupied, develop their potential and prevent them from being exposed to crime and other social vices during the holiday.
“For us in Agege, we want to be known for the right things. We want our young people to understand their potential and see the opportunities available to them in the future.
“They can become engineers, doctors, permanent secretaries and successful professionals in different fields. They simply need to stay away from vices and engage themselves in productive activities,” Obasa said.
The chairman urged young people not to rely solely on university certificates but to complement their formal education with practical skills that could make them more productive and create additional opportunities.
“Adding practical skills to your education can make you productive, create opportunities and enable you to add value to yourself and society,” he said.
Obasa also called on individuals and organisations to emulate Oladele Inspires Initiatives by investing in young people and giving back to society.
He commended the initiator of the programme, Mr Oladele Olaniyan, for sustaining the initiative through four editions and pledged the council’s continued support for programmes that positively engage and empower young people.
The chairman further urged the beneficiaries to shun crime and other social vices.
“Leave those things alone because they will not add anything positive to your lives. At the end of the day, they can only leave you with regrets,” he said.
The initiator of the programme, Oladele Olaniyan, said his decision to establish the initiative was influenced by his own experience of learning practical skills while growing up.
“We organised this programme so that teenagers can learn skills when they are still young. We trained them in cinematography, drone piloting, photography and graphic design with support from the Agege Local Government Chairman.
“We wanted to train 200, but he said we should increase it to 500,” he said.
Olaniyan assured that the programme would continue annually, with a particular focus on teenagers during their holiday periods.
He urged the beneficiaries to continue learning and improving their skills rather than relying solely on the knowledge acquired during the one-month training.
One of the beneficiaries, Ania-Casimia, from Delta State, who participated in the photography training, commended the organisers for the initiative.
“I used to consider myself an amateur photographer, but now I can confidently say that I am a photographer.
“After completing my photography training, I felt I needed to learn more. So I attended the programme to train in photography, cinematography and graphic design.
“The training has been worthwhile and amazing. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and a basic understanding of things that I previously didn’t know.
“Before the training, I was basically stumbling around and figuring things out as I went along. But this training was able to put me on a clear pathway, and that has really worked for me. I’ve been able to see the results in my photography,” she said.
Another participant, Modinat Opemipo, from Ikorodu, said she enrolled in the programme to learn drone piloting.
She said the training exposed her to the dynamics of drones and taught her how to operate and fly them.
Opemipo expressed appreciation to the organisers and the Agege Local Government for providing the opportunity to acquire the skill.
The programme is expected to continue as part of efforts to equip young people with practical skills, encourage productive use of their holiday periods and create pathways to future employment and entrepreneurship.
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