EDSG TO PARTNER LADY MECHANIC ON YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
BENIN CITY – In pursuit of his commitment towards skills acquisition and youth empowerment, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki has disclosed intention to partner the Lady Mechanic Initiative, a Non Governmental Organisation and to relocate its site of the Lady Mechanic village from its current place to Benin Technical College both in Benin City.
Governor Obaseki also said the well-known Lady Mechanic in Nigeria, Sandra Aguebor, founder of a Non Governmental Organisation called The Lady Mechanic Initiative for the training of young female mechanics in Nigeria, should come and see how she could take over the Government House mechanic workshop for the repairs of government vehicles.
The Governor made the disclosures Monday in Benin City when he attended the graduation ceremony of the first set of young female mechanics trained by the lady Mechanic in collaboration with Coca Cola Bottling Company.
Beside, emphasizing capacity –building of female drivers of Edo City Transport Service (ECTS) to make the company competitive in the transport business, Governor Obaseki stressed the need for the Nigerian economy not to dependend on oil resources alone but to appraise the role of government on order to make government and business thrive just as President Muhammadu Buhari is harping on diversification in the economy.
He expressed gladness that Sandra Aguebor is from Edo State and an old student of Benin Technical College which his administration is committed to re-building.
While urging the young female mechanic graduates from the five-year training programme to be like their boss, Sandra Aguebor and role models to others, Governor Obaseki encouraged Nigerian Bottling Company, manufacturers of Coca Cola, to extend its collaboration with the Lady Mechanic Initiative beyond this first set of 25 graduates of the training programme, pointing out that the state government would evolve policies towards rendering support.
Earlier, the founder of The Lady Mechanic Initiative, Sandra Aguebor congratulated Governor Obaseki on his victory at the polls and commended him for his commitment to employ 200,000 youths hence she expressed the readiness of her NGO to partner Edo State Government particularly because the Edo State Governor has a strong passion for youth empowerment.
Also speaking, the Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Bottling Company, Benin City, Emeka Mba, who congratulated Governor Obaseki on his election as Governor of Edo State, disclosed that this is first time the beverage company will be having a sitting Governor at such graduation ceremony and affirmed that it has enjoyed collaboration with Edo State Government adding that the training project was signed in 2009 but it commenced in 2010.
While saying the vision of the Lady mechanic was interterm with the NGO, the Public Affairs Manager said this is beginning of good things to come.
