The Lagos State Government has earmarked N25 billion to facilitate multifarious vocational training programmes under Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s leadership.

The Commissioner, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Lola Akande, made the disclosure at the 2018 National Insurance Brokers Conference on Saturday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commissioner spoke on the sub-theme: “Grassroots Development and Poverty Alleviation: The Insurance Alternative’’.

Over 500 insurance practitioners participated in the conference with the theme: “Insurance industry, thrive and survive’’.

Akande said that the major challenge confronting most developing countries, including Nigeria, was poverty.

“Poverty as a disease can engender several other problems including social vices, criminality and emotional challenges.

“It is often said that poverty leads to criminality because an hungry man is not only an angry man but a dangerous fellow,’’ she said.

The commissioner urged private and public sectors to develop ingenious strategies to alleviate poverty.

She noted that the state government had already put in place some measures to tackle such future challenges.

Akande said that empowerment had been a front burner issue for the past and present leaderships because poverty could only be surmounted through empowerment projects and programmes.

“Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode, has not withheld his resources from providing veritable platforms upon which multifarious vocational training programmes can be obtained on tuition-free basis,’’ she said.

She said that over 18,000 students had passed through the centres in the past one year and many of them were empowered at the end of their training.

“This informed the creation of 17 functional skills acquisition centres across the five divisions of the state, where beneficiaries are empowered after completing their training.

“The state government, also, through the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment set up the Employment Trust Fund to promote entrepreneurial activities to assist women in their businesses, ‘’ the commissioner said.

According to her, the main objective of the fund is to encourage the spirit of enterprise among our young people.

She commended the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB) for sustaining the tempo of regulation of insurance brokers, in spite of the industry’s challenges of poor image and poor acceptability of insurance.

Akande urged industry players to evolve cheaper insurance policies that could stabilise the micro-traders.

She said that once insurance industry can step up its mitigating services to entrepreneurs, “Grassroots Development and Poverty Alleviation’’ will be enhanced. (NAN)

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