Senator Kola Balogun has trained and empowered 390 women and youths from Oyo South Senatorial District in various skills acquisition.
The beneficiaries, drawn from the nine local government areas constituting the senatorial district, underwent a two-day training programme held on Monday and Tuesday at the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry Auditorium, University of Ibadan.
The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) conducted the training and empowerment programme, which Senator Balogun facilitated.
This was in collaboration with Loylinds Nigeria Limited, Moniquel Nigeria Limited, Gravy Train International Services Limited and Hakavod Global Services Limited.
The 390 beneficiaries were trained in cake making, meat pie, doughnuts, chin-chin, egg rolls, liquid soup making, air freshener and disinfectant production.
Mrs Omolara Daniel, Mrs Busayo Ojo, Mrs Vera Oshodin, and Mrs Aishat Omope separately trained the beneficiaries.
Speaking at the event’s closing, Senator Balogun, in the company of his wife, Mrs Gbonjubola Kola-Balogun, said he was not doing the beneficiaries any favour, as the people elected him to promote their welfare and development.
The vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Youths and Sports Development emphasised the importance of skills acquisition, noting that it was a sure way to get the country out of its current predicament.
“In Nigeria today, despite the downturn, some of us still have hope and believe tomorrow will be okay for the country and its people.
“Our election into public offices was made possible by you, the people. We are occupying public offices on behalf of the people. Any elected public office holder who is not promoting the welfare of the people will be answerable to God.
“In the last three years, my mind has been preoccupied with training and empowering my people, and this is what I have been doing in phases since then.
“The feedback we are getting from past beneficiaries of such training and empowerment programmes has encouraged me to do more.
“As lawmakers, we were elected to do these things: make people-orientated laws; attract federal presence and opportunities to take care of the interest of the people and carry out oversight functions that would benefit the people.
“All these are geared towards human capacity development. Our parents trained and raised us, relying heavily on their human capacity.
“Beneficiaries of trainings we carried out in the past are giving us feedback that they are progressing in their various fields of training and empowerment.
“It is on this note that I will implore all the beneficiaries of this training and empowerment to put into good use whatever you will be given as seed capital,” Senator Balogun said.
Beneficiaries praise Senator Balogun
Speaking on behalf of the other beneficiaries, Comrade Yusuf Akeem Oladele, one of the trainees and youth leader of Ido Local Government Area, thanked Senator Balogun for the training opportunity.
He said the federal lawmaker’s gesture had made a meaningful and positive impact on the beneficiaries’ lives and promised that the training and the seed capital would be put to good use.
Another Ibadan North-East Local Government Area beneficiary, Mrs Sakirat Najeem (aka Agbadun), assured that the training would yield positive results.
