By Victor Otigbu

Her Royal Majesty, Olori Atuwatse III, wife of the Olu of Warri, has emphasized that equipping students with entrepreneurial skills is essential for preparing them for future challenges and contributing to national economic growth through small, medium, and large-scale businesses.

Olori Atuwatse III made this remark during the second day of the Set4LYf entrepreneurial training program for students in Warri South Local Government Area. The program, organized by Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) in collaboration with the Royal Iwere Foundation, aims to train thousands of young people over six months in leadership and entrepreneurial skills.

Speaking through the Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Iwere Foundation, Ogechukwu Abiago Ezeobiorah, Olori Atuwatse III highlighted that the program’s first phase—Train-the-Trainers—focuses on preparing teachers who will, in turn, train students across three Warri local government areas: Warri South, Warri North, and Warri South-West.

“This program is designed to equip young people, who are the future leaders, with the skills they need to improve and develop their communities. With this training, they are being prepared for the global stage,” she said.

She stressed that the program’s practical approach will enable young people to compete globally in business, leadership, and entrepreneurship. To extend the program’s reach, the foundation is working with volunteer teachers and ad-hoc staff, who will assist in implementing the curriculum in classrooms and other learning environments.

“Equipping the teachers is equipping the children. The teachers are the heart of this initiative, and through their commitment, we can reach and impact a larger number of students,” she added.

On his part, Ugonna Achebe, Executive Director of Junior Achievement Nigeria, explained that the Set4LYf program is designed to foster an entrepreneurial mindset in young people, helping them identify problems, create solutions, and build sustainable businesses.

Achebe, represented by Assistant Program Manager, Oluwaseyi Hassan, expressed confidence that the trained teachers would effectively transfer the acquired knowledge to their students.

“Our goal is to make the training as practical as possible. Today, the response from the teachers was very encouraging—they were active, engaged, and eager to contribute. We are hopeful that they will take these insights back to their classrooms and empower their students,” he said.

He urged students participating in the program to take their studies seriously, emphasizing that the skills acquired will be invaluable for their future careers and economic empowerment.

The Set4LYf training program, which began on Monday, will continue throughout the week with more interactive sessions and practical workshops aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial capacity of both teachers and students.