Lagos Lawmaker Trains 250, Distributes Tools, and Expands Youth Empowerment Programmes
By Daniji Emmanuel
More than 250 young people and small business operators in Eti-Osa Constituency II have benefitted from training, start-up support, and equipment distribution under initiatives championed by Hon. Gbolahan Olusegun Yishawu, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The beneficiaries were celebrated on Monday during the 13th edition of the GOY Micro-Business & Entrepreneurship Support Programme and the 4th Human Capital Development Skills Graduation Ceremony in Lagos.
Yishawu said the scheme was created to strengthen local businesses while also giving vocational and digital trainees a pathway into self-reliance. “We are here to celebrate the achievements of our students and to provide them with the tools of their profession so they can hit the ground running,” he told participants. “We are also here to inject capital into small businesses, empower artisans, and support the micro-businesses that form the heartbeat of our economy.”
Graduates and Training Milestones
This year, 45 women completed training in catering, fashion design, hairdressing, knitting, soap-making, and tie-and-dye. According to organisers, a total of 404 women have passed through the programme since inception.
Other strands include:
WAPA Skills Acquisition Partnership: Over 3,000 youths trained in various trades.
Digital Training Hub: 310 graduates in less than 30 months, with outstanding students awarded laptops and start-up kits.
Women’s Vocational Scheme (Keffi): Ongoing capacity-building in household and commercial trades.
Yishawu also announced new collaborations with Google through the Creative Industries Initiative for Africa (CIIFA) and SOD Bridge Academy, aimed at offering courses in animation, cinematography, music business, and live event management.
Beyond Training
The lawmaker’s foundation has also provided support to artisans and small traders. More than 500 mechanics, tailors, welders, barbers, food vendors, and drivers have received modern tools through the Artisan Trade Enhancement Programme.
The support framework extends to education and welfare:
Education: Over 12,000 students received free JAMB forms, with grants of ₦75,000 for admission and ₦100,000 for top scorers.
Youth Entrepreneurs & Market Women: 1,500 received capital, stock, and business tools.
Elderly & Widows: More than 3,000 benefitted from food and cash packages.
Community Projects: Free school buses (over one million rides recorded), free eye and dental care, boreholes, sports development, fumigation exercises, and anti-drug campaigns.
Stakeholder Reactions
Aminat Alabi, Chairman of Iru-Victoria Island LCDA, praised the empowerment drive and urged beneficiaries to make use of the tools rather than sell them.
Moronke Azeez, Executive Secretary of LASTVEB, highlighted the difference between the GOY initiative and other training models. “Unlike many programmes where graduates leave empty-handed, here they are equipped with tools to start immediately. That is true empowerment,” she said.
Beneficiaries also voiced their appreciation. Knitting trainee Hawawu Lawal said the programme gave her confidence to combine knitting with crochet to grow her craft. Soap-making graduate Comfort Obande said she can now produce detergents and disinfectants to expand her business, while Egba Temitope, who received a gas cooker and oven, said the support would help her strengthen her catering service.
