First Lady of Sokoto State, Her Excellency, Dr Hajiya Fatima Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has charged 300 women beneficiaries of a state-sponsored vocational training scheme to maximise their newly acquired skills and resist the temptation to sell their start-up equipment and capital grants.
Gatekeepers News reports that she gave the charge on Saturday while presiding over the graduation ceremony, presentation of certificates and empowerment distribution in Sokoto.
The beneficiaries completed intensive training across six high-demand artisanal trades: tailoring, knitting, weaving, henna artistry, beadwork, and shoe and bag manufacturing, with 50 women trained per trade.
Highlighting the administration’s financial commitment towards economic self-reliance and women-led micro-enterprises, Dr Fatima revealed that more than N150 million was invested in the empowerment initiative.
“The idea is to enable you to start up your business without any delay. The state government has expended over 150 million Naira on this programme, therefore you must live up to expectations,” the First Lady said.
To ensure immediate operational readiness, the empowerment package was tailored to the specific needs of each trade.
Beneficiaries in tailoring and knitting received start-up machinery alongside a N20,000 cash grant for equipment installation and logistics.
Those trained in shoe and bag manufacturing received N100,000 each as start-up capital, while beneficiaries in bead making, henna artistry and weaving received N50,000 each as take-off cash grants.
Dr Fatima said human capital development and youth empowerment remained central to the administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto.
She said the state’s socio-economic strategy focused on poverty alleviation, curbing unemployment and driving grassroots wealth creation across all 244 political wards of Sokoto State.
The First Lady also highlighted the event within the broader state and federal interventions, noting collaborations across the Ministries of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs, and Women and Children Affairs, as well as capital support provided under the Ahmadu-CARES scheme.
She also acknowledged the impact of social welfare and food security interventions delivered through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), spearheaded by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Commending the governor’s foresight in establishing the dedicated Ministry of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, Dr Fatima said the institutionalisation of trade training aligned directly with the administration’s 9-Point Smart Agenda.
She urged well-meaning individuals and corporate organisations to complement government efforts through community-level mentorship and support.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Commissioner for Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, Hon Abba Muhammad Mu’alledi, commended the beneficiaries for their discipline and commitment throughout the training period.
He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to delivering market-relevant vocational programmes that align with local economic demands.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Nana Asmau Abubakar expressed gratitude to the Sokoto State Government for the opportunity, pledging that the graduands would judiciously utilise the machinery and cash grants to establish viable businesses and mentor others within their communities.
The ceremony brought together top government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders and civil society representatives, alongside cultural performances from local traditional artists.
