The Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government, Hon. Sheriff Musa has charged Nigerian Youths to embrace Entrepreneurship as a means to be self reliant.
The Council boss gave this admonition at the opening ceremony of Skill and Talent Academy – SKATA which took place on Monday July 4, 2022 in Ota, Ogun State. SKATA is an initiative of Yomi Oke-Asiwaju, a Youth Development Crusader and President of Yewa-Awori Youth Council.
According to Musa, “if I had the opportunity to learn a trade or vocational skill, I would probably have become a leading force in my trade today; I therefore charge you to take this training seriously”.
He further said that, “our population in Nigeria is a strength. There’s hardly anything you make or sell that you won’t find a large market for in this country. So, whatsoever skill you have come to acquire here, there’s a ready-made market waiting for you”.
The Chairman also noted that talents abound in every home in Nigeria. “majority of young people who are talented only need a platform that can develop their Talent for them and give their Talent an expression and I guess that’s one of the objectives of SKATA”, he said.
He encouraged the participants to be like an Eagle. “You have the capacity to soar like an Eagle and renew your strength just like an Eagle. I wish you the best in your current and future endeavour”, he concluded.
The Chairman commended the founder of SKATA for initiating a laudable idea such as this. “The Asiwaju I know is a creative young man and enterprising. I am not surprised he’s able to come up with a laudable initiative like SKATA because he has shown in the past and still showing that he’s passionate about human capacity development. This vision must not die and that is why we are all here to support him”, he said.
The Chairman promised to provide basic work tools for each of the classes in SKATA.
Other eminent personalities present at the event include the Majority Leader of Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Sherif Yusuf. According to the Legislator, “gone are the days when white collar jobs are available for our Youths. These days, it is best to be self reliant, create jobs and become an employer of labour too”. Yusuf praised the founder of SKATA for empowering the youths with basic vocational skills that will make them to be self reliant.
He advised the participants to be diligent during the period of the Academy. He promised to donate work tools for each of the classes and also promised the overall best participant a gift after the training.
The Royal Father of the day, Kabiesi Onijana of Ijana Ota, Oba Clement Akinyemi who graced the event also commended the organiser.
In his welcome address, the founder of SKATA, Yomi Oke-Asiwaju explained the rationale behind SKATA. According to the Social Entrepreneur, Nigeria’s educational system needs to be overhauled.
He said he has noticed that in Nigeria, a secondary school leaver who is enrolled in a vocational training will become self reliant after three years whereas a University or Polytechnic graduate will after graduation go job hunting and will still require extra effort and training to be able to survive in his work place.
“If you take a secondary school certificate holder and you enrol him with a tailor, 3 years after, he would be able to make any style of clothing. Take another one and enrol him with a mechanic, 3 years later, he would be able to fix just any car.
“Same thing applies to the lady you enrolled with a Baker. Three years after, she is baking multi level cake of different varieties and taste for occasion.
“Meanwhile, take a secondary school leaver and put him in a University/Polytechnic, under the tutelage of Professors and Doctorate Degree holders; 4 or 5 years plus strike actions, he would not know beyond diagrams, formulae, definitions and theories”. “He would need extra training to work in his industry. He would be seeking for who to employ him or her”.
He asked, “is anything wrong with the school leaver”. He however said “something is wrong with the system that kept him for 5 years yet made him obtuse and out of touch with reality of what obtains in the real world”. According to Yomi, “that system needs to be overhauled”. “While we wait for it to be overhauled, SKATA has come to the rescue”, he submitted.
Oke-Asiwaju said, SKATA has so far empowered the dreams of nothing less than 1000 persons since it was initiated in 2018. He added that this is the third season and he plans to give out work tools to deserving participants after the training exercise. He used the medium to reach out to the guests at the opening ceremony and other well meaning Nigerians to support the vision by donating work tools for the best participants in each of the classes.
SKATA is a free Training platform where skills such as, Fashion Design, Make-Up, Catering, Photography and Graphic Design can be acquired. The platform also trains participants in Acting and Broadcasting, Music and Dance including Modelling.
