The Ogbomoso First Community Initiative, on Wednesday, formally handed over its Skills Acquisition Centre to the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede (FEDPA), Ogbomoso, for the training of students and members of the host community, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between both parties.
The handover ceremony, which took place on Wednesday at the Sir Ademola Dare-Williams Hall, O’First Group Centre, Oke Osuuru, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, also featured the formal signing of an MoU between the Centre for Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development of the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, and the Ogbomoso First Community Initiative. The agreement is aimed at institutionalising the use of the facility for technical, vocational and entrepreneurship training.
Speaking at the event, the President of the Ogbomoso First Community Initiative, Architect Sakiru Suara, said education without practical skills is no longer sufficient in today’s competitive world. He urged trainees and users of the centre to complement their academic qualifications with vocational and entrepreneurial skills in order to create multiple streams of income and secure their future. Architect Suara commended the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Engr. Dr. Taofeek Adekunle Abdul-Hameed, for his commitment to ensuring that every graduate of the institution acquires at least one practical skill, while also sharing how his father’s work as a bricklayer influenced his own life and career.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ogbomoso First Community Initiative, Otunba Bayo Babatunde, said the group was established in 2009 with the primary objective of placing Ogbomoso’s development agenda at the forefront of its interventions. He noted that the organisation has made notable contributions over the years, including the distribution of thousands of exercise books to secondary school students and the empowerment of indigent residents through the provision of sewing machines, motorcycles, hairdressing kits and other vocational tools.
In his remarks, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede, Engr. Dr. Abdul-Hameed, applauded the sustained support of Ogbomoso indigenes towards the growth of the institution. He described Architect Suara as one of the pillars of the polytechnic, noting his role in facilitating the administrative building at the Iresa-Apa campus during the institution’s formative stage. The Rector urged members of the community to live exemplary lives that reflect positively on the institution and disclosed that the polytechnic would soon benefit from another project facilitated by a prominent indigene and council representative, Professor Jide Ajao.
Earlier, the Director of the Centre for Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, Mr. Christopher Owojori, who was represented by Mrs. Kafayat Olawumi Bulala, explained that the programme to be run at the centre is targeted mainly at indigenes of Ogbomoso and surrounding communities under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative. He said the programme is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), adding that each trainee will receive a monthly stipend, while the centre will be funded to run the programme for a period of six months.
The Ogbomoso First Community Initiative disclosed that the MoU signed by both parties is expected to run for an initial period of two years, providing a framework for sustained collaboration in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development.
Dignitaries present at the event on the side of the Ogbomoso First Community Initiative included a retired Commissioner of Police, CP Dejo Oyelowo; Engr. Akinloye Oyekola; Chief Bayo Eegunbiyi; and Professor Jide Ajao. The Federal Polytechnic, Ayede delegation featured the Deputy Rector (Academic), Dr. Azeez Olasunkanmi Ojo; the Registrar, Mr. Akin Odesola, represented by the Deputy Registrar, Mr. Gafar Kolapo Olatinwo; the Polytechnic Librarian, Dr. Samuel Oke Ogunniyi; as well as Deans, Directors, Heads of Departments and Units, staff and students of the institution.
In his closing remarks, CP Dejo Oyelowo announced that the two best-performing trainees at the end of the programme would be supported and fully equipped to strengthen their entrepreneurial ventures.
The partnership is widely regarded as a major step towards empowering youths through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship, while reinforcing the Federal Polytechnic, Ayede’s commitment to community-driven development and practical education.
