By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe has said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has mapped out plans to take at least four million residents out of poverty by the year 2027.

Ajigbotafe stressed that wealth creation, employment opportunities, and human capacity development are the major foundations upon which sustainable development can be achieved.

Recall that the number of Nigerians living in poverty stood at over 133 million, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced in its “Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index’ released in November 2022.

It said the figure represents 63 percent of the nation’s population.

According to the report, over half of the population, who are poor cook with dung, wood, or charcoal, rather than cleaner energy. It said high deprivations are also apparent in sanitation, time to healthcare, food insecurity, and housing.

The report noted that multidimensional poverty is higher in rural areas, where 72 percent of people are poor, compared to 42 percent of people in urban areas.

Also, according to Nigerian Poverty Statistics, the poverty rate in Lagos is 8.5 percent, with about 1263,279 living in extreme poverty. Lagos is faced with the issue of increasing population with an estimated over 22 million people.

Speaking to Vanguard in an interview, Ajigbotafe, who was the Special Adviser (Non- cabinet) to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Community Development, spoke on various projects being undertaken in line with the THEMES’ developmental agenda of the present administration.

Ajigbotafe, disclosing plans of the ministry and target of the “Empower Lagos Project,” said; “When I came into the ministry, I have to see how we can transform it and take it to the next levels. In the past, the ministry has done a lot of work in the area of wealth creation and employment and we want to build on what has been done in the past and do even better.

“Eight years ago when this ministry was created a lot has been done. So, I thought we had to do something radically transformative and sustainable.

“We have to do better. I came up with an agenda that will have long-term impacts on the people of Lagos State. We came up with the concept of ‘Empower Lagos’ that we hope will last for three years or more and we are focusing on three categories for wealth creation and employment.

“The first category is the post-NYSC, the second one is the Artisans Category while the third one is the Small Medium Enterprises, SMEs.

“The post-NYSC is focused on the ones that desire white-collar jobs. The question is how do we secure that for them? We are going to put them through a process of training, mentorship, and certification in partnership with the private sector. We are already in partnership with many corporate entities to achieve this.

“We believe that through our process of mentorship, many of them will secure profitable engagements with corporate entities.

“This ‘Empower Lagos’ Project’ is a plan that will have a ripple and multiplier effect on our people in the next two to three years. Once you are out of school and you have finished your NYSC, we will take you up and make you somebody.

“We aim to target 10,000 people through the Empower Lagos initiative, out of the 10,000, we are picking 2,000 for the post-NYSC program, 5,000 for the Artisans program, and 3,000 for the SMEs.

“In the SME program, we will put the people into training that will equip them for their enterprises and we will monitor the training program and ensure its sustainability.

“We also have the train the trainers program in which we expect you to train others and those people you trained will also train other people and so on.

“That process of training the trainers will be running especially for the SME and by the year 2027 we expect the concept would have built about 500 to a million people and lift them out of poverty into gainful employment.

“We are going to train the artisans too. You can learn plumbing, carpentry, whatever you wish to learn under our tutelage and we will empower you with the tools that you need.

“If we need more money to support the trainees we will source for grants, partnerships, or loans. The artisans will also be part of our Train the Trainers program. We expect them to train others, who will also train others, and so on. These trainings will have ripple effects on the lives of our people.

“We are also putting in place a mentorship program. Mentors will guide and nurture the trainees and keep an eye on them even after the training. The Empower Lagos program is about empowerment, training and mentorship so that the individual can become a worthy ambassador of our ministry, of Lagos State and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“It is going to be a sustainable project. It’s not the one we will train you and buy you equipment that some you will go and sell. No, we won’t allow you to do that because we will monitor your progress and achievements.

“We cannot do this alone. We need support from the private sector, NGOs, and international donors. We are also building hubs. We have the leather hubs at Matori Mushin, It’s about 80 percent completed.

“We should be able to open it by February, or March. We are opening an ICT hub, Agro Hub, Wood and Furniture Hub, and a textile hub where the design of Adire, Ankara, will be exhibited, and where people can buy and sell what they produce.

“We are going to have multiple hubs like that. By the time the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is finished, Lagosians would know that they had an exceptional Governor.

“Our target is that by the year 2027, we would have lifted four million people out of poverty. This will have a great impact on the people of Lagos State. By the time, the next administration comes in, the system would have been established and proven. They only need to continue to run it.

On private partnership initiatives, Ajigbotafe said, “We have spoken to quite a number of companies. Many of them have come in here for meetings. There is what we call corporate social responsibility.

“We tell them that this is an opportunity for them to perform that. We already have KPMG partnering with us and we have continued to speak to many others. Many of them will take some of the trainees in employment after they have been certified by us and have undergone our program.

“Our ministry is very wide and there is no sector we cannot work in. We have more than 50 sectors that we can look into, tap into, to create wealth and lift people out of poverty. We are exploring that. We are hoping to new ideas, partnerships and collaborations.”

Speaking on the ministry’s intervention despite the huge population of young people with a passion for arts, music, drama, visual arts and the technology space, the commissioner said, “We have met with Gbagidi Academy and have visited the studio. He bought a whole building. He started with Davido or something. He has equipped the house with all sorts of equipment for drama, film and music production and all that and we are working in collaborations. We are looking at empowering people in that area of Creative Arts and Entertainment.

“He has the platform for us to come in and work with him. We can empower up to 1000 people in that area. We are going to sign an MoU. This will also come with certifications too. We are looking at partnering with other organizations too. Our aim is a durable partnership that can help people break through into the entertainment world.

“What we can do is empower the beneficiary in any areas of creative endeavour they are gifted in.

“Hopefully, by the time we sell this idea to other corporate entities they will buy into it and support us. So, whether it is skit making, music, drama, you are good at, we can support you.

“In the area of ICT, we are going to be working with the Ministry of Science and Tech. We are also working with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. They have trained over 10,000 women in sewing and many other trades. We are working with them to further push our aims and objectives because it is all interwoven.

On criteria for involvement, Ajigbotafe said, “When we talk about lifting four million people out of poverty by 2027, we are talking about people who are residents of Lagos State.

“It does not matter who you are or what tribe you belong to. You need to have been living in Lagos State. You need to have your Lagos State Resident Registration Agency, LASRRA Identity card, you need to have your National Identity Number, card, NIN card as well.

“There must be ample proof that you are a resident of Lagos State. That’s the easy access. Once you have that you are good. We are creating a website that people can go and apply. We are also creating an App for the project. By January 16, we are going to officially unveil, “Empower Lagos Project.”

On the probability that the project will be sustained beyond the current admin, Ajigbotafe said, “We are doing everything possible to put in place a very solid structure, so that it becomes very easy for the next administration to key into it. It is a blue print. What we are building is expected to be able to run itself with good administration.

“When we train you, you train others, and the others train others as well, and so on. Take the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund for example, our people will be able to maximize that opportunity through ‘Empower Lagos.’

“The trainees are going to sign a MOU with us so that it is binding. During the training, both the trainees and the trainers will be given provisions to work with. So, we are spending on each of them to empower them.

“We also expect them to come up with proposals that can be financed by our partners. The program will run for 36 months and we have a database of applicants already. I can tell you for a fact we have so many CVs.

“I am sure by the time we launch our website for the program. Applicants will almost shut down this ministry so getting across to our people is settled already.

“Within the space of time that I took office here, we have received over 5,000 applicants so you can imagine what will happen if we put out an announcement.”

JAPA

Commenting on “Japa syndrome, Ajigbotafe, said, “Personally, I am against JAPA syndrome because, take the UK for example, they know what they are doing. They target our medical doctors because they get them so cheaply. They make them do jobs that doctors who are paid huge amounts of money internationally do and Nigerians do them so cheaply.

“We do not need to encourage JAPA syndrome in this age of remote work and technology. Doctors are consulting from their computers. People can stay in Nigeria and earn in foreign currency. You can actually live in Nigeria and work in America, earning in Dollars.

“Our people don’t need to travel abroad to wash dead bodies. What they need is the required skills and trainings and this is the area we come in as a government to fill in the gap and provide the training so that our people can be empowered. You can work in ICT and earn in Dollars or any other foreign currency you desire. What people need is skill.

“You need to develop your skills and trainings. If you have the required skills you don’t need to JAPPA, you can work for any company in the world without leaving your space.

“It’s the awareness we need to create, to educate our people. If you don’t have the skills even if you JAPPA it won’t work out.

“We also need to lift our women out of prostitution and poverty. We can take our young people out of the streets and away from drugs.

“We are working very closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to see how we can create wealth and lift the women population out of prostitution and poverty in Lagos.”