Participants at a skill acquisition programme in Lagos
By Oluwatope Lawanson
Rep. James Faleke (Ikeja Federal Constituency)
has facilitated skill acquisition programme for 2,100 members of his constituency.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants were trained on aquatic agriculture – fish farming with value addition.
The participants were equipped with knowledge and strategies on fish farming during an intensive training.
The training was facilitated by the lawmaker in conjunction with the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research.
It held at the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Lagos.
Faleke was represented by Mr Wale Ajala, a lawyer and the Coordinator of the programme.
He said that the initiative had successfully captured 2,100 participants, adding that it was a strategic effort to drive economic empowerment and promote self-reliance.
“The programme has successfully captured 2,100 beneficiaries drawn from Ikeja, Ojodu and Onigbongbo.
“The training is on fish farming and processing. We want to imbibe in our people, the ability to stand on their own.
“As job seekers, some can also rear fish on their own. The beneficiaries are in batches with 300 people in one batch to make up of seven batches having a total of 2,100 beneficiaries.
“Each participant is entitled to a sum of N80,000 to start fish farming,” he said.
The House of Representatives member said that he was determined to take his constituents out of poverty and increase the economic base of the constituency.
The lawmaker, who chairs House of Representatives Committee on Finance, urged all the beneficiaries to put into practice, all they learnt.
“It is my joy to put smiles on the faces of people, irrespective of tribe, religion and political affiliation.
“Upon completion, each participant receives a certificate and a ₦80,000 startup grant to launch the fish farming business,” he said.
Faleke charged the beneficiaries to make good use of the grant.
“I want to appeal to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the money given to them because it is a seed money for business and not for frivolities.
“They should invest wisely and use the fund to develop themselves,” he said.
Faleke said that he had earlier facilitated skill acquisition for 9,000 members of his constituency, adding that he recently distributed brand new patrol vans for security agencies in Ikeja, besides distribution of food palliatives.
Some of the beneficiaries commended Faleke for fulfilling his election campaign promise of positively impacting the lives of his constituents.
Speaking with NAN, Mrs Modupe Adetunji, a beneficiary and resident of Oke Ira, Ojodu, said that the empowerment programme was commendable.
“I am a single mother of two, who needs financial stability; so, this programme is an eye opener, and I will make judicious use of the start-up grant,” she said.
Mrs Titilope Okuwafunmiwo from Ikeja also commended the lawmaker for the programme which she described as timely.
“The training on fish farming is very good because fish is what many consume daily.
“With the various trainings, we are becoming self-reliant and will be wealth creator in no distant time,” she said.
Another beneficiary, Mr Jamiu Sodehinde, said: “This is one programme that directly solves the problem of poverty, and I thank all the organisers of this programme for a job well done.”
One of the trainers, Mr Idris Friday, said that fish farming had lots of value chain which the participants could exploit.
He said that the participants were trained on fish handling and preservation as well as the economics of fish farming.
“We have markets for all the value chains associated with fish farming,” he said. NAN
