The Presidency has admonished graduates of tertiary institutions to acquire technical, vocational and entrepreneurship skills to enhance their fortunes in the country.
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who spoke during the graduation and grant presentation ceremony of TVEE trainees in Abuja, remarked that it behooves graduates of tertiary institutions to go beyond their certificates by acquiring skills that would enhance their chances of earning a decent living for themselves.
Acknowledging the challenge of unemployment faced by the teeming population of youths in the country, he reiterated the resolve of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to provide the enabling environment to empower underprivileged Nigerians.
Onanuga described the TVEE initiative of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Abiola Arogundade, as well thought out, stressing that it is in tandem with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.
Arogundade, who presented N500,000 grants each to the beneficiaries, disclosed that 200 persons have so far benefited from the grant, adding that 120 of them are freshers while the remaining 80 are those already in business who needed financial support to boost their business.
She further stated that a total sum of N100 million grant has so far been doled out to beneficiaries of the programme.
She further stated that 120 winners with the best business plans were among 10,000 participants in a 10-day intensive training session on how to write and execute business plans.
She added that during the programme, both online and physical participants were trained on the components of a good business plan including executive summary, business overview and marketing strategies.
She assured the teeming population of unemployed youths of better days ahead under the President Tinubu-led administration.
She noted: “I am here to assure you that the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is thinking about you, not just because of this programme but because of the numerous initiatives he is creating across the country to promote TVET.
“An example of this is the inclusion of TVET in the Students Loan, inauguration of Skills Council in the Presidency, Human Capital Development Council, in collaboration with the governors under the National Economic Council, SUPA (Skill-Up Artisans), ITF and numerous others. We once again congratulate the 120 winners of our TVET grant and also our 80 honorary winners who will be going home with our grants today.
“It is our belief that the grants will serve as incentives for progress in your businesses going forward. We would also like to say that this is one of our many programmes in supporting skills and enterprise and we intend to continue to do so in our office. So, if you are not a winner today, please continue to apply to participate in our future programmes.”
Among items distributed to the participants of the TVEE programme were Solar Kiosks to support the business development of their TVET skills. They include one designed for hair dressing, one designed for catering and food vending and the other two for general purposes. Aside from the mentioned professional uses, the kiosks are also equipped with sockets for phone charging and spaces for Point of Sale (PoS) and other businesses.
The event was graced by top government functionaries including the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Ohanenye; the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejiocha; the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, among others.
