FG TARGETS FIVE MILLION NIGERIANS IN POVERTY REDUCTION DRIVE, TRAINS 700 OYO YOUTHS
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Federal Government has commenced the expansion of its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy across the country, targeting about five million Nigerians for poverty reduction over the next four years.
Under the initiative, 700 youths in Oyo State have received vocational and digital skills training, alongside business starter kits and equipment to support their transition into income-generating activities.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, disclosed this at a graduation ceremony held at the Kensington Adebutu Hall, University of Ibadan, on Friday.
Arogundade said the programme reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to addressing poverty by equipping Nigerians with practical skills and opportunities for economic independence rather than relying solely on direct assistance.
“What we want to do, and what the President wants to do, is to move as many people out of poverty as possible.
“Mr President believes that our young people do not simply need assistance. They need opportunity. They need skills. They need the tools to compete and build sustainable livelihoods. And that is what today represents,” she said.
The training programme, which ran from September 28 to October 9, 2026, culminated in the graduation ceremony, where beneficiaries received equipment and devices based on their respective areas of specialisation.
According to Arogundade, 30 participants received specialised training in artificial intelligence and graphics design, while 85 were trained in make-up artistry and another 85 in fashion design.
She added that 500 participants would receive digital devices to enhance their participation in the growing digital economy.
The beneficiaries received items including laptops, make-up kits, sewing machines and digital tablets, depending on their training areas and the support allocated to them.
The intervention, implemented through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, is designed to tackle unemployment, bridge the skills gap and encourage entrepreneurship among young Nigerians.
Arogundade urged the graduates to maximise the opportunity by establishing sustainable businesses and extending the benefits of their training to others in their communities.
“What you receive today (Friday) is not the destination. It is the beginning. Take the skills you have learnt. Take the tools you have received, and build something with them.
“Don’t use it as a one-man solution or one-man empowerment. There’s a multiplier effect. Train your neighbours, train your community people, and also continue to impact and learn more,” she said.
The keynote speaker and Principal Consultant, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, emphasised the importance of artificial intelligence training, noting that major economies were increasingly integrating the technology into different sectors.
She said countries such as the United States and China were investing heavily in AI applications across manufacturing, agriculture and the automobile industry.
Also speaking, the make-up artistry instructor, Rukayat Muhammad, said the vocational skills acquired during the programme could provide a pathway to financial independence if beneficiaries continued to improve their expertise and market their services effectively.
Muhammad advised the graduates to treat the equipment provided by the government as an investment in their economic future and use it to establish and grow their businesses.
Addressing the beneficiaries, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, urged them to turn the training into viable enterprises capable of generating income and creating jobs.
He described the equipment as tools for building sustainable businesses and achieving financial independence, rather than mere gifts.
“I urge all the beneficiaries to make the best use of this opportunity. The training and equipment provided are not just gifts; they are tools to build sustainable businesses, achieve financial independence and create employment for others,” Alli said.
One of the beneficiaries, Olaleye Idowu, a 400-level International Relations student at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the AI and graphics design training had introduced him to the fundamentals of the technology and its potential applications.
“The training introduced us to the fundamentals of AI, its applications, and its potential to make work more efficient,” he said.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included the senator representing Oyo Central, Yunus Akintunde; the Oyo State APC Women Leader and Tinubu Torch Bearers coordinator, Dr Adekemi Opatunde; and the South-West Federal Constituency coordinator, Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo.
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