YPNI trains 500 Ogun youths on entrepreneurship, skills acquisition

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A non-profit organisation, Young Progressives Nigeria Initiatives (YPNI) at the weekend completed its three months training centred on entrepreneurship and skills acquisition for about 500 youths in Ogun State.

The training which took place at the Event Auditorium domicile inside the main bowl of Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium in Ijebu-Ode, impacted societal core values on the youths aimed at encouraging and promoting a sense of patriotism and nationalism among progressive-minded young Nigerians.

The training which was held in collaboration with a non-profit group, the Joint Effort for Advancement of the Nigerian Society (JEANS), cut across decoration and events planning, fashion designing, handcraft, soap making and civic education, among others.

In his address, the Convener/National Coordinator of YPNI, Mr Adekunle Osibogun, a legal practitioner by profession, said the training was organised to change the approach of Nigerians to unemployment and poverty, and for reorientation of the values of the younger generation towards self-development.

He advised the participants to use their already learned skills with common sense, charging them to always situate their businesses where there is potential for sales.

In an interview with our correspondent, a participant, Mrs Favour Badmus expressed her appreciation to YPNI for bringing the programme to Ijebu. In her words, Badmus said: “I got to know about this NGO in late 2016. Since then, my affiliation with the organisation has been fruitful, productive and rewarding. Professionally, I am into soap making but I enrolled for this programme to learn events planning and decoration so as to diversify. Today, I return all glory to God and to the leaders of YPNI for what they have been doing to ameliorate the suffering of the people in this area through capacity development.”

Another participant, Miss Elizabeth Ogbodiye who enrolled for Fashion Designing said she decided to take part in the programme in order to build herself professionally before going to university. In her words, the 18-year-old said “Today, I want to say that I am far better than my contemporaries with whom I passed out from secondary school.”