Bamigbetan delivers World Poverty Alleviation Day lecture
By Olushola Okewole
Former Lagos State Commissioner for Information & Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan hs advocated free education and health as the strategy to stem the waste of human capital slowing down the country’s efforts to alleviate poverty.
Delivering this year’s World Poverty Alleviation Day lecture organized by the Center for Research in Enterprises and Action in Management (CREM), a nnon-governmental organisation founded by Grooming company, Bamigbetan said free education would produce mass literacy and free health will create a productive workforce for industry.
He said research has shown that about 49 out of 193 million Nigerians are in the workforce and commended President Muhammadu Buhari for setting up the Ministry of Humanitarian Services to provide social security to underprivileged Nigerians.
He said women were marginalized in the public civil service, educational system and the workforce and recommended an action plan to ensure gender balance in employment and enrolment.
The micro-finance institution, Grooming Centre, Ejigbo, later honored the former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Kehinde Bamigbetan, with an award of recognition of his efforts in the development of Ejigbo LCDA.
The Executive Director, Administration, Grooming Centre, Mrs. Isoken Nwabunka, also received honour of recognition for her contributions to poverty alleviation for the women.
The awards were presented at an event organised by the Center for Research in Enterprises and Action in Management (CREM) in commemoration of the International Poverty Alleviation Day with the theme: “Women Empowerment as a Tool for Poverty Eradication.
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Mrs. Nwabunka, who gave the second lecture for the event, urged women to identify the kind of business they could do and the suitable location for such business, beckoning to them to move to get loan from Grooming Centre to grow such business, stick to the business, reach their set goals and start savings.
She charged the women to dream big and have a positive attitude towards life as she made her submission with a quote “When you empower a woman, you empower a community/generation.”
Other speakers at the event were Prof. Bola Okuneye, who spoke on agricultural option in poverty eradication, and Mrs. Edith Nwachukwu, who spoke on Health issues.
The CREM Chief Operation Officer (COO), Mr. Martins Ndigwe, said the event was organised to mark the very important day – international Poverty alleviation day, explaining that CREM, an offshoot of Grooming Centre, spearheaded the programme as a means of giving back to the community as well as to inform the women on how to get out of poverty.
He added that the financial institution’s core responsibility is to see women being helped with information needed to be empowered for better living.
The COO said the Grooming Centre is a community friendly institution for all to promote education, poverty alleviation among others.
