Oba Rashidi Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, has praised the Federal Government’s vocational training and youth empowerment scheme, describing it as a revolutionary intervention against joblessness and financial hardship among Nigerian youths.
Spearheaded under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), the project aims to foster enterprise, job readiness, and financial self-sufficiency among its beneficiaries.
The traditional ruler expressed these sentiments on Thursday in Ibadan during a royal visit by Dr. Abiola Arogundade, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (TVEE). She visited the palace to update the monarch on the initiative’s progress across Oyo State.
Commending Arogundade for her commitment, the monarch highlighted that providing young people with marketable capabilities enables them to achieve self-reliance and contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic vitality. He lauded her leadership and called on other public officials to replicate similar impactful measures to reduce poverty nationwide.
Oba Ladoja further urged philanthropic leaders and private sector organizations to invest heavily in practical skill-building schemes, emphasizing that hands-on trades offer long-term financial stability and a reliable pathway out of economic distress.
The current Ibadan cohort focuses on high-demand disciplines such as fashion styling, cosmetics artistry, graphic design, and artificial intelligence (AI). Arogundade noted that the intensive 10-day training for 200 youths wraps up on Friday, with all participants receiving essential professional tools to launch their entrepreneurial journeys.
Additionally, she revealed that 700 more beneficiaries will be gifted digital tablets to strengthen their technological skills and unlock wider commercial opportunities.