By Juliet Ebirim

The Aremo of Iworo Kingdom, Badagry, Olu Kosoko has yet again proven that he is passionate about adding value and investing in human capacity development, as he marked his birthday last Thursday by launching a digital centre in Iworo Community, Badagry, Lagos.

While speaking at the launch, Olu Kosoko who is the founder of the Olu Kosoko Foundation, said the digital centre, which is in strategic partnership with Tech4Dev, a leading tech NGO championing digital skill empowerment in Nigeria, is designed to equip youths and adults in Badagry, Lagos State with key digital skills to strengthen their entrepreneurship capabilities.
His words: “It’s my birthday today and I am really grateful to celebrate it this way.

I am not doing this for self-validation. I just want to make an impact, tell a story and fulfill the purpose of God for my life. The centre will also serve as a shared workspace for professionals and tech researchers as we provide in-house consulting for SMEs and start-ups. Our goal is to impact the lives of 1000 youths and 500 adults in Badagry within the next 36 months.” he said.

The centre is focused on driving development by propagating ‘Education, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship and Environment’. “We are strategic about the whole thing. We are looking at education, empowerment, entrepreneurship, environment. We believe we can make a change with these four points. My birthday is about reflection and looking into what I can do for people. Last year I celebrated by giving to charity. We donated money and food, but this year I decided to teach people how to fish. I have been able to get good collaborations in this project. With partnerships, we can achieve more.” he added.

Also read: Itsekiri Public Affairs committee hails emergence of Olu designate

The first son of HRM. Oba. Oladele Friday Kosoko, the Oniworo of Iworo kingdom in Badagry and Mrs Atinuke Christianah Adeleye, Prince Kosoko expressed joy at having both parents grace the occasion. “I’m happy that my parents are alive to witness this day. I feel that my life is a life of purpose, people and vision. My father’s shoes are too big for me to fill, so I have to wear my own. I have seen what he has done in different communities.”

He urged parents to encourage their kids to take advantage of the free digital training. “The digital centre will be opened on June 7. I want parents to encourage their kids to enrol and it’s completely free. The centre is not for the youth alone because we are looking at the bigger picture. Oniworo has provided land for a model school and it will be completed in next the few years. We want to empower young adults so that outsiders will not get all the jobs in the school. Education is something we should take seriously. If my father didn’t invest in my education, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We want to be able to empower both old and young so that if opportunities open, they can get jobs. Apart from digital skills, we will help change the mindset of trainees as well.” he concluded.

An entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, youth advocate and tourism enthusiast, Olu Kosoko is a seasoned project manager with fifteen years of business consulting experience in the Financial, Customer Service, and Public Service sectors. One thing that has remained at the core of his pursuits is his heart for his homeland.

Vanguard News Nigeria