Bola Badmus – Lagos
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday stated that his administration will continue to invest in capacity building and infrastructure development for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to leverage on.
Governor Sanwo-Olu gave this commitment while speaking at the 13th Edition Tradesmen & Artisan’s Day Celebration and of Graduation, held at De Blue Roof, LTV 8, Ikeja, Lagos, saying that it remained an incontrovertible “fact that no economy or society can do without the services being rendered by artisans and tradesmen because of their direct impact on peoples day to day living comfort.”
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, while recognizing the role of the artisans and tradesmen in the informal economy, noted that his administration had been consistently developing innovative solutions that would address the challenges they faced and improve their productivity.
The governor added that his administration would continue to promote their decent means of livelihood and work conditions for all hardworking and resourceful artisans and tradesmen in the state.
He reiterated that the passion of his administration to enhance the growth of the sector and the prosperity of all stakeholders had been demonstrated by the implementation of various programs anchored by the Ministry of Wealth Creation & Employment in collaboration with other agencies.
Sanwo-Olu further noted that his administration’s empowerment programmes were designed to adequately prepare Artisans to think globally while providing local solutions, adding: “It is in our view to the critical contribution of a vibrant informal sector to economic development and job creation.”
“In many parts of the world, the informal sector which comprises small-scale activities in traditional sectors of the economy accounted for a greater percentage of new jobs created. It is against this background that the informal economy debate and possible strategies to improve its capacity are gaining new momentum at all levels and in various circles,” Governor Sanwo-Olu stated.
On the current hardship being experienced in the country, the governor assured that assure that his administration felt the pain of the artisans and tradesmen in the state, saying it would do everything within the limit of its “power and ability to support you at this time and ensure that the evil intention of enemies of our democracy does not materialize.”
He, therefore, appealed to the President and members of the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA) to vote en mass for the re-election of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president and all other All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the coming general elections.
Earlier in her welcome address, the State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs Yetunde Arobieke, stated that the artisan day celebration and graduation ceremony for 1,700 up-skilled tradesmen and artisans is to recognize and showcase the potential and contribution of the informal sector to the socio-economic development of Lagos state.
“The informal sector is the engine that drives the economy. It, therefore, becomes imperative for Lagos Artisans to work towards the realization of a common purpose which is creating 21st-century Artisans for sustainable economic growth with a view to making and sustaining Lagos as a 21st-century economy,” she said.
The commissioner, therefore, tasked the Tradesmen and Artisans to make a success of their businesses and train others, saying that the call was to engender sustainable wealth creation and employment for youths and unemployed residents of the state.
Arobieke noted that the graduating tradesmen and Artisan had gone through intensive training for eight weeks, coupled with free modern equipment, saying that they would be presented with their certificates.
In his goodwill message, the President of Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans, Chief Nurudeen Buhari, said that the rigorous execution of the present administration THEMES agenda which has helped to improve the lives of all Lagosians and the provision of good infrastructure in education, agriculture, health, transportation, among others had given the artisans an enabling environment to practise their trade.
He added that the retraining skill acquisition programme, empowerment and provision of palliative to Tradesmen and Artisans were to cushion the adverse economic effects of scarcity of money and fuel.
He, therefore, urges all the grandaunts to pass the knowledge acquired during the training to other members of their association and make judicious use of the tools and equipment given to them.
