Fashola Commissions Skills Acquisition Centre, Drivers’ Institute

Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State governor last week commissioned a Skills Acquisition Centre and the State’s first Drivers’ Institute both in Ikorodu declaring that his administration will continue to expand the frontiers of opportunity in the State.
The Skill Acquisition Centre, which is located on Borokini Street, Aga, in Ikorodu Local Government Area is the largest and the first of more than eleven such centres across the state to undertake the teaching of shoemaking as one of the subjects.
Speaking at the ceremony attended by top political party officials, traditional rulers and top government functionaries, Governor Fashola said the centre is a fulfillment of his electoral promises which he made to the people of Lagos State while seeking their mandate.
He said the essence of the centre is to give opportunities to those who do not have the aptitude to go through formal education to have alternative means to develop their skills and God-given talent adding that no one is totally useless.
 “It is a recognition of the fact that not everybody would want a formal and complete education”, the Governor explained and added, “But even if we do have a formal and complete education today, the colour of the global economy is changing and, therefore, certificates from any university is no longer a meal ticket, it is only a step to finding the part to that meal ticket”.
Recalling that the state government flagged off a Mobile Kitchen service at the Government Secretariat on last Monday, the governor declared, “People must be ready now to use their talents; to use their skills to earn a living”, adding that the interesting thing about the Mobile Kitchen was that the person behind it is not a professional caterer but someone with a different profession who has decided to provide the services that our economy needs.
Citing examples with the owner of one of the biggest furniture manufacturing companies in Lagos and owners of two major fast food catering outlets as people who have ventured into and made a success of professions other than theirs, Governor Fashola said, “This economy needs all of these services. If we do not diversify, if we do not provide this kind of centres for you to learn new skills; for you to be able to provide new services this economy needs, we will continue to complain about unemployment”.
“The game has changed and Lagos is changing with it and everybody must wake up to that change”, the governor said adding that a nation that does not produce what it seeks to consume is looking for trouble.
He said all the big names in textile manufacturing, fashion designs and eateries that have become household names today started as small family businesses and urges the youths to endeavour to use the opportunity offered by the Centre to acquire skills to enable them build up family businesses  that could become household names in future both locally and internationally.
Fashola commended Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the State commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for her efforts in making the centre a reality adding, “If you are looking for an industrious Awori woman; if you are looking for a passionate Lagosian, if you are looking for a very diligent public servant, then look no further than Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire”.