Lagos Grants Residents Soft Loans To Encourage Self-Employment

Mrs Orelope-Adefulire
Mrs Orelope-Adefulire

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has urged residents of Ikorodu who are beneficiaries of the government’s skill acquisition scheme who were given soft loans to ensure quick repayment of the loans.

Speaking at the graduation of the short-term skill acquisition programme on Wednesday, Orelope-Adefulire advised the beneficiaries not to spend the money on personal needs but to use it as start-up capital.

“May I appeal that you should repay the loan so that others may be able to benefit in the near future,” the deputy governor said.

She noted that big businesses that abound in the country started with small capital and advised the beneficiaries to see the loan as an investment in their future.

At least, 620 residents of the constituency benefited from the four-week acquisition programme where they were trained in soap making, bead and wire-works, cake and snacks production, hairdressing, rat poison, insecticide production, tie and dye, balloon and event decoration.

Orelope-Adefulire reiterated the commitment of the present administration to creating self employment opportunities for Lagosians to achieve total eradication of poverty.

She added that the government was desirous of promoting self-employment in view of the limited spaces available for paid employment and white-collar jobs, which she noted could not be enough for job-seekers in the state.

She also advised the beneficiaries to make good use of the skills they had acquired and ensure they take it further through the establishment of their own small businesses, which she hoped would help them support their family and make them economically-independent.

In his remarks, Senai Agunbiade, member representing Ikorodu in the state House of Assembly, lauded the gesture of the government and Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for providing his people with the necessary skills, which he noted would add value to their lives.