Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has launched the Ogun Job Centre across the three senatorial districts of the state, describing it as the dawn of a new era of opportunities and empowerment for the youth.
Speaking during the official commissioning held at the Government Science and Technical College, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, the Governor, represented by his Deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said the initiative marked more than the opening of a facility—it represented “the audacious beginning of a life-changing initiative.”
The project is a collaboration between the Ogun State Government and international partners including the German Cooperation (Deutsche Zusammenarbeit), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the World Bank through the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
According to Abiodun, the centre serves as a platform “where every effort meets opportunity and dedication is rewarded with growth.”
He added that job creation has remained a defining pillar of his administration since inception, aimed not just at reducing unemployment but at “building a skilled, confident and competitive workforce for the demands of the 21st century.”
“In Ogun State, we are raising leaders, creating self-reliant and disciplined young men and women who will lead our industries, our digital economy and our nation into a prosperous future,” he said.
He urged youths and job seekers to take full advantage of the centre’s offerings, noting that the prosperity of the state depended on a skilled and empowered workforce.
Ogun State Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, described the project as pivotal to the state’s economic transformation.
He commended Governor Abiodun for prioritising youth empowerment through various initiatives, including the Gateway International Airport, infrastructural upgrades, school renovations, and health sector reforms.
Country Director of GIZ Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr. Markus Wagner, said the initiative was designed to empower young Nigerians, strengthen employability, and boost economic growth.
He revealed that Ogun’s job centre is among ten created nationwide and would complement existing skills centres in Abeokuta, Ijebu and Ota.
“The State, being an industrial hub, is now on the world map for its efforts in promoting sustainable development and entrepreneurship,” Wagner said.
Chief Economic Adviser and Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Dapo Okubadejo, noted that through OGSTEP, over 21,000 Ogun youths had already been trained in various vocational and digital skills.
Also speaking, the Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr. Karin Jansen, stressed that addressing unemployment required collective effort.
“Government alone cannot do it. Partnerships like this promote self-reliance, talent and innovation,” she said.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, lauded the collaboration as a vital step toward reducing unemployment and fostering economic resilience.
The Olota of Ota, HRH Oba Prof. Abdulkabir Obalanlege, described the job centre as a timely intervention, saying it would empower many young people to become employers of labour.
Programme Component Manager, Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE II), GIZ Nigeria, Ms. Svjetlana Djokic, highlighted the project’s goal of “building partnerships, creating job opportunities, and changing mindsets in the labour market.”
Two beneficiaries, Deborah Ajiboye, a Mathematics graduate, and Iyabo Alaka, a fashion designer, testified that the state’s skills acquisition programme had transformed their career prospects and given them renewed hope for the future.
culled from Pm News
