Sanwo-Olu Empowers 3,792 Vocational Centre Graduates With Tools -

 Sanwo-Olu empowers 3,792 vocational centre graduates with tools, says governance must touch llives

Lagos State  Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday gave out working tools to 3,792 graduates of state-owned vocational skills training centres across the state in demonstration of his administration's commitment to eradicating poverty at the grassroots level.

The tools were distributed through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, at the Blue Roof, Agidingbi, Ikeja, under the Micro Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI) .

Speaking at the empowerment programme, the governor described the initiative as a practical demonstration of his administration’s resolve to create opportunities, reduce poverty and promote self-reliance among Lagosians.

He noted that the true measure of any government lies not only in economic growth or infrastructure development but in its ability to positively impact lives and empower citizens to succeed.

He said in the last seven years of his administration, almost 40,000 residents have been empowered through working tools to begin and expand their businesses.

Sanwo-Olu charged the beneficiaries to make use of the tools by growing their businesses and becoming employers of labour.

“The strength of any government is measured not merely by the size of its economy or the scale of its infrastructure, but by how many lives it touches and how many people it empowers to succeed,” he said.

He said the initiative aligns with the objectives of his administration’s THEMES+ Agenda, which prioritises inclusive growth by ensuring that development reaches every part of Lagos, including urban, rural and riverine communities.

In her welcome address, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bolaji Cecilia Dada, described empowerment as a catalyst for lasting social and economic transformation rather than the mere distribution of equipment.

She said the MESI programme was designed to bridge the gap between vocational training and business start-ups by providing graduates of the state’s tuition-free Skills Acquisition Centres with the tools needed to establish sustainable enterprises.

Dada disclosed that since the inception of the Sanwo-Olu administration, 35,101 residents had graduated from the ministry’s Skills Acquisition Centres, while 18,990 beneficiaries had received start-up equipment through MESI.

She added that over 1,100 residents had acquired digital skills, 18,241 people had benefited from the Life Skills and Economic Empowerment Programme, more than 4,040 vulnerable families had received food support under the Ounjẹ Lọ Rẹ Awo initiative, and over 5,500 widows had been empowered with financial grants to strengthen their businesses.