Lagos govt to empower 1 million youths with ICT skills

The Commissioner for the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, made this known on Wednesday, in Ikeja.

He spoke during the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefings at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, in commemoration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s first year of his second term in office.

Ogunlende said the programme would be divided into four cohorts and offer different cadres of certificates, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“We are starting with one million youths in Lagos State and we are looking to break it down to four cohorts, starting with 250,000 youths; it is tailored for formal and informal youth.

“Some youths have not been opportune to go to school, but they want to learn, while some have gone to school but have dropped out.

“Some do not like school, there are programmes that have been established for them, and there are different cadres of certificates.

“The brilliant ones can go as far as Artificial Intelligence, there are programmes that will suit them as well.

It’s across the value chain from the formal straight to the informal,” the commissioner said.

He emphasised the need for a collective effort to combat drug abuse among youths in the state.

Ogunlende expressed concern over its increasing rate among the younger generation, noting that many were introduced to it early due to peer pressure.

He revealed that the state government had been engaging in various activities, including drama, musical concerts, and training of psychotherapists, to address the issue.

“Whilst we’re giving this briefing, it is also an opportunity to make a claim that advocacy on drug abuse is the responsibility of all of us.

“We will continue to do a lot of advocacy, we go to a lot of schools, with the help and support of our social workers,” he said.

The commissioner also spoke on child adoption and how to make the process less cumbersome for applicants.

“We’re going to digitalise the process of adoption, this will fast-track things,” he said.