Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that the unveiling and official kick off of the Ogun Job Centre across the 3 Senatorial Districts of the State marks not just the unveiling of a building but the audacious beginning of an Era of a life Changing initiative.
The Governor gave the disclosure during the official Commissioning of the Ogun Job Centre, done in collaboration with the German Cooperation DUETSCHE ZUSAMMENARBEIT, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the World Bank through the Ogun State, Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) and Implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Intertionale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, at the Government Science and Technical College, Idi Aba, Abeokuta.
Represented by his Deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele said, the Ogun job Center stands as a platform where every effort would meet opportunity and where dedication would be rewarded with growth.
According to him it was an era of opportunities, empowerment and inclusive growth for the people of Ogun State, adding that at the beginning of his administration, job creation was made a moral duty and its defining pillar, informing that the launch was of strategic job creation initiative, aimed not merely at reducing unemployment, but also at building a skilled, confident and competitive workforce for the demands of the 21st Century.
“In Ogun State, we are raising leaders, creating self-reliant and disciplined young men and women who will lead our industries, our digital economy and our nation into a prosperous future,” he said.
He appreciated partners for joining hands with the Government for job creation and youth empowerment drive, while appealing to youths and job seekers within the State to take full advantage of the benefits that the centre offers, adding that the overall prosperity of Ogun State depends on the workforce that was skilled, empowered and engaged in the bid to build an economy that works for all.
In his remarks, the Ogun State Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, said the programme was pivotal to the economic transformation of the State, as the present administration focuses on developing all sectors and youth empowerment and skills development was given priority, while appreciating Governor Dapo Abiodun for placing the State on the World Map via various programmes such as the new Gateway International Airport, Infrastructural development, massive school renovations, efficient health care system among others.
The Country Director, GIZ Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr. Markus Wagner, thanked the State government for the warm welcome, saying the aim of the job centre was to empower young Nigerians, improve the economy and help young people to connect with jobs while exposing them to different skills, noting that, they have so far created 10 job centres across Nigeria and that the commissioning of the Ogun centre was another milestone as it would complement government skills centers in Abeokuta, Ijebu and Ota.
He added that the State being the industrial hub in the country had placed the State on the world map, acknowledging the State government diverse initiatives on entrepreneurial programme, as it would promote sustainable development, strengthen collaboration and increase employability.
The Chief Economic Adviser and the Commissioner for Finance in Ogun, who is also the Chairman Project Steering Committee, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, said over 5 years ago the State Government had conceptualised OGSTEP, aimed at improving the economic footprint of the State, enabling business environment, skills education and public sector reforms, adding that State government job centres had trained over 21,000 Ogun youths in different skills, imploring more youths to take advantage of the programme.
Also speaking, the Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy Nigeria, Dr. Karin Jansen, said the job centre would promote new job opportunities mainly for youths all over the world, thereby reducing high rate of unemployment, support self-reliance , talent and inspiration, explaining that fight against high rate of unemployment requires the support of all, as government could not do it alone.
Earlier in his welcome address, Ogun State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, appreciated the German cooperation for partnering with the State government on it building our future together agenda, saying the job centre would go a long way at reducing the alarming rate of unemployment, promote economic development as well as ensuring youths’ self-reliance.
Contributing, the Olota of Ota, HRH, Oba Prof. Abdulkabir Obalanlege, commended the initiative, saying the high rate of unemployment was becoming worrisome, noting that the new job center would help a lot of youths to get skills and be employers of Labour, appreciating the German cooperation and the state Government for providing the platform for youths to be skilled.
The Programme Component Manager, Ogun State Manager Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE 11), GIZ Nigeria, Svjetlana Djokic, in her presentation, said the programme was about building partnership, fostering development, creating job opportunities and changing the mentality in the Labour market, as youths are the most viable percentage of any population, calling for strong collaboration with the private sector, Government MDAs, community and educational institutions.
In their separate testimonies, a graduate of Mathematics, Deborah Ajiboye and an unemployed fashion designer, Iyabo Alaka, appreciated the State government for giving them the opportunity to learn skills and gain employment under the State skills acquisition scheme.
