It was a beautiful experience at the graduation ceremony of the LASG IGNITE Employability and Enterprise Project as the four lucky streams of graduands had an opportunity to meet with their benefactors. The event which was held alongside the 2012 Youth Stakeholders' Forum-an initiative of the Governor Fashola- led administration- in collaboration with Afterschool Graduate Development Centre(AGDC)- to proffer a lasting solution to youth umemployment by creating an enabling environment which ignites an enterprise culture and optimal professional performance amongst youth domiciled in Lagos state- with Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) of Lagos state.The graduands as well as the other participants got an opportunity to get first hand scoop of what the Lagos state government was doing in the area of youths empowerment, and an opportunity to personally ask the governor constuctive questions( and the questions were so many, although not as constructive as i would have expected)... when it was time to entertain questions, there were two queues of close to fifty persons each who of course wanted to ask not just one question but several-i had to smile- and some just went to be seen to have asked the governor a question, many, after their long tactless i am brilliant speeches had to be prodded to get to their question severally, the drama of the day most definitely had to go to the young man who in a very belligerent tone insisted the government was not doing anything in the area of greening the environment, even after he was informed his question had been ferreted out, he still kept at it( i almost feared he was going to go upstage and engage the governor in a fist fight), some of the questions however showed the young people's ignorance albeit assertively. For instance while doing my fourth year Industrial training at NBC PLC Agidingbi Ikeja in 2009, i recalled vividly that NBC PLC was a venue for the July 14TH, 2009 LAGOS STATE TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN; whose slogan was Plant a Tree Today by His Excellency Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola...
The 'unemployable'status of the Nigerian graduate concerns not just the graduates themselves but the country, however, unlike others who have just diagnosed the problem with a ten inch pole and not made any effort to do something about it, the Governor Fashola led government in parntnership with AGDC chairmaned by Mrs Ibukun Awosika and her team : Mrs Funmi Funmi Adeyemi( Director), Mrs Detoun Ogwo( Executive Director), Mr Brian Oji( Project Coordinator) and a host of brilliant motivated minds have put their backs into the work to make a difference in the lives of the youths. As the Governor said at the ceremony the first step is a mind change, seeing as the white collar jobs were no longer available, it did not mean that there were no more opportunities in Nigeria.
Getting the Nigerian youth to see the opportunities foreigners are seeing on the streets of Nigeria and trouping in in their large numbers everyday takes a mind change.The governor stated that the money was where the Nigerian graduate did not want to go to get her hands dirty...
It was a mind stimulating, challenging and fun experience. If there is one thing not to be forgotten soon, it is the humility of the governor, he did not speak in a condescending tone, neither did he use bogus ineffective words(showed his sensitivity), he went right to the heart of the matter: there is money in Nigeria! change your perspective and you too will see what foreigners are seeing.
