By Gift Gabriel
Over 2,000 women and youths have graduated from a four-week vocational skills acqui-sition programme orga-nised by the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA.

The training, which ran simultaneously in four selected centres across the state, was the first phase of the ministry’s short-term training programme expected to benefit no fewer than 5,000 participants by the end of its second phase.

In a statement by Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefu-lire, Deputy Governor of Lagos State and acting Commissioner, WAPA, the programme is part of the state government’s poverty reduction strategy in its renewed effort to give youths and women in the state vocations that would make them economically independent as well as making poverty history.

Vocations taught at the training include balloon decoration, cake baking, pomade/soap making, among others.

beads stringing, wea-ving and hair dressing, stove tread and insecti-cide production, tie and dye, among others.