Lagos Council Chairman Urges Youths To Upscale Skills Set

Luqmon Balogun, Lagos

The Chairman Ojodu Local Council Development Area of Lagos State has urged youths in the state and Nigeria to upscale their skills set towards self empowerment and national economic development.

Mr Olusegun Odunmbaku while speaking to the journalists in Lagos on his achievements in the last three years in office and the future plans for the council said that Lagos has various skills acquisition centres around the state that the youths can leverage to better their lots.

Local government

He said that both the state and local government were working with President Tinubu led administration to train more youths and women in different vocational skills and empower them for the future.

The council boss mentioned that the world now relies on skilled individuals to provide services and such jobs that are being avoided by the youths could put food on their tables and cater for their needs.

“I am an advocate of skill acquisition and I believe we are where most of our youth lack direction and they see most of these skills as dirty jobs and I think it is about that time that we have to start changing their orientation, being a plumber or auto mechanic is not a dirty job, yet you might return home dirty, but the money is not dirty, thereby allow you to take care of your family and your immediate needs with this little money you will be earning from this job, instead of complaining and having excuses.”

Last 3 years

He said that in the last three years, over four thousand primary and secondary school students have been trained in digital skills, while hundreds of youths benefited from various youth employability programme with more women trained in different capacity, including the twenty million investments in partnership with a Micro Finance bank to empower small business owners.

Odumbaku also said that plan is underway to establish a resource and rehabilitation centre to rehabilitate youths who are into drugs as part of efforts to stem the menace.

Health intervention

Speaking on the health care delivery in the council, he maintained that over five hundred residents, including the elderly, children, widows have benefitted from free health mission in partnership with the Lagos health Insurance scheme, Ilera Eko and access free medical services across the seven primary health care centres with efforts ongoing to empower one hundred more families, including insurance for sixty people With disabilities.

He said “In the last three years, our health interventions has been magnificent, we have rehabilitated Apata Primary Health Center,  upgrade Gbadamosi and Apata primary health centers to operate on 24hrs services, donated N1 Million to kidney patient (Mrs. Hassan Adebamijoko) as well as commissioned Agidingbi Primary Health Center, PHC.

“We also employed 120 medical personnel (Doctors, Midwives, community Health workers, Health Attendants, Medical Recorders and procured three Ambulance and two mobile tricycle Ambulances for prompt medical services. We also organised Free Mammogram for women above 40 years at Ogba PHC in conjunction with Nigerian Physician from America, USA and we offered Free Medical and Free Health Insurance for 1000 residents.”

He said with the weekly ‘See-a-Doctor Programme’ with consultants from the Lagis State Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, organised by the council about  146 surgeries were carried out, these include 30 Lipoma surgery, 65 Hernia surgery, 12 Breast Lump surgery, 18 Keloid surgery, 11 Lumpectomy surgery, 6 Hydrocele surgery and 3 Fibroid surgery.

HEYS agenda

While reeling out other achievements on road construction to link communities and enhance faster access for residents, Odumbaku maintained that five thousand, five hundred people have benefitted from the subsidised Ojodu Food Bank Initiative, while transportation project for students and residents as well as incentives for teachers and students have been activated.

He said the developmental agenda of the council, HEYS which centred on Health, Education, Youths and Women Development and Social Inclusion has enabled the council to reach out to over seven hundred students who received GCE forms and others received over nine hundred Jamb forms from 2022 till date.

Looking ahead 

Odunmbaku promised that his administration will be embarking on infrastructural development such as the reconstruction of Eweobaja Market, Sunshine Housing Estate, building of a Modern Recreational Center and reconstruction of Odo Eran plank market and Sunday market.

He also assured of reconstruction of the council’s flagship health center at Gbadamosi to a more modern public health center.

In a seperate interview, some of the residents applauded the strides of the council leadership towards giving a facelift to the local council area. They also acknowledged the milestone the team has achieved so far particularly in the areas of health and social infrastructure.

Lateefah Ibrahim