Rotary inaugurates N15m skills centre in Lagos school

The Rotary Club of Ikeja has officially opened a solar-powered vocational training center at Ikeja Junior High School in Lagos, aiming to equip students with practical skills for self-reliance and entrepreneurship. The facility represents a significant investment, costing between N15 million and N18 million.

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The initiative was designed to support students, particularly those who may not immediately proceed to tertiary institutions, with employable skills that could help them earn a living.

Funded by the club in partnership with Rotary International District 9111, the center is designed to offer training in various trades, including tailoring and fashion design, catering, barbing, makeup artistry, and hairdressing. The initiative specifically targets students who may not immediately proceed to tertiary institutions, providing them with employable skills to earn a living and remain productively engaged.

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We want to make these young people self-reliant. The vocational centre will keep them productively engaged while giving them opportunities to acquire skills that can generate income and sustain them.

Olarewaju Lawal, President of the Rotary Club of Ikeja, stated that the project's goal is to empower young Nigerians and make them self-reliant. The vocational center will offer opportunities to acquire income-generating skills. Henry Akiyele, District Governor of Rotary International District 9111, described the center as a testament to Rotary's commitment to education and youth development, emphasizing its role in complementing classroom learning with vocational and entrepreneurial exposure.

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The idea is to develop our children beyond academic work and create opportunities for them to acquire vocational and entrepreneurial skills that will be useful in the future.

Past President of the Rotary Club of Ikeja, Olusegun Oshunkeye, noted that the club had previously constructed the vocational center's building before adding the solar power installation and equipment. The facility is now equipped to train students in hairdressing, tailoring, gele making, and barbing. The former Principal of Ikeja Junior High School, Quadri Zainab-Ayo, hailed the project as the fulfillment of a long-standing vision for the institution, recalling the program's humble beginnings with a single sewing machine.

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If we empower and educate our children, we are also liberating the nation. This is a laudable project that will have a lasting impact on the students.