SUNRISE NEWS, Lagos, Aug 22, 2020 Sixty widows who graduated from a one week skill acquisition training at the Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, would be empowered to be job creators and employers of labour, the council chairman Apostle Oloruntoba Oke has said.
Oke gave the promise to the graduation ceremony held for the trainees on Friday.
Oke who was represented by the Supervisory Council for Agriculture and Social Services, Hon. Femi Afikuyomi, therefore urged the women to take what they had learnt during the training seriously as it could go a long way in sustaining their families especially at this critical time.
He commended the two Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Widows Care and Charity Organisation and Hopewell Initiatives for organizing the five day training/empowerment which had widows selected from all the wards in the local government in attendance.
The training which began on Monday,17th -21st August , 2020 at the NRC Building, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way, was declared open by Oke represented by his Chief of Staff, Hon. Ibiyinka Thomas.
Oke assured the trainees of his readiness to empower them at a ceremony slated for September 4, when he would love to personally present each participant with their certificate of participation.
Oke who said the welfare of widows are a major plank of his administration’s agenda, said he would not only present them their certificates, but present them tools for their trade as well as a handsome working capital to start off their trade.
The Founder of Hopewell Initiatives, Mrs Balques Aiyepola and the Project Coordinator ,Widows Care and Charity Organisation, Olayinka James Oni, counselled all participants to make the best use of the opportunity as the programme is designed to equip and support them to live beyond Covid-19 economic crisis through training in production of souvenir and lunch bags, batik (tie and dye) making and cakes and confectionaries and snacks making.
One of the beneficiaries Mrs Yetunde Olaseinde praised the trainers for the very profound lectures that has made them to see the economic viability of the three classes available during the exercise.
Olaseinde who expressed the commitment of all trainees to make the best use of the lessons learnt at the event however appealed for the support of the government.
The widow, who was trained in lunch gift bags said she was surprised that she could now make quality school lunch bags, gift bags, Bible pouch and wallets just within five days.
Another widow, who would not want to be mentioned said she learnt so many things in the cakes and confectionary class and would put all that she had learn to good use to take care of her two-year old son.
Mrs Jumoke Adeniyi, President National Council of Women Society (NCWS), Ikeja Branch and First Vice President National Confraternity of Christian Mothers (NCM), urged the women to look beyond the misfortune of losing their bread winners, and rise to the challenge of living for the sake of their children and other dependents.
She said widows are not dregs of the society and should rise up and be counted as winners of bread, and not submit to depression simply because of the loss of their beloved husbands.