Ikorodu Cake Bakers Empower 500 Youths, Students

The Ikorodu Cake Bakers on Tuesday trained 500 youths and secondary school students in cake baking in Lagos.

The training took place during the Ikorodu Cake Fair, which was held in Ikorodu community to bring bakers to showcase their cakes and extend knowledge to youths.

The coordinator of the Cake Fair, Mrs Mojisola Saliu-Aina, said it was important to empower youths and secondary school students so that they would become useful members of the society.

“These days, after graduation from higher institution, you will see a graduate going from door to door looking for jobs, forgetting that they can be their own boss.

“So we decided as a group to train them during this cake fair and as well teach others who are already in the field the advance class of cake baking.

“Hence, we allowed some companies and privately owned businesses showcase some crafts for cake designs at this fair so they will know the things they needed for this business,” said Saliu-Aina.

Saliu-Aina, who is also the Chief Executive officer of Havens Cakes and Events, also urged parents to allow their children to learn skills, especially  cake baking.

“Parents, please allow your children to learn a skill even while in school, so as to help them in future,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, a coach identified as Ezinne Okokonkwo, said cake business was one of the biggest and trending businesses in the whole world and many people were venturing into it, cashing out from the business.

Okonkwo, the CEO of Dewdrops Cakes Bake Factory, advised them to be serious and continue to learn further in the advance class of baking.

“New designs, styles of baking evolve everyday. Don’t stop here, you have to acquire more knowledge, you have to keep upgrading so you can meet international standards,” she said.

She, however, reminded the trainees that cake baking business was not for lazy people.

Some of the youths and students applauded the bakers for giving them the opportunity to be trained in cake baking.

Miss Doyin Alapere said the empowerment was a means of livelihood for her, and that the trainers had helped her to shape her future through the training.

Also, a student of Babminton College in Ikorodu, who identified herself as Shade promised to always practise what she learnt and enroll in cake class during holidays.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training took place between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from March 1 and March 2.

NAN also reports that the participants were drawn from different parts of the community, and the six secondary schools that attended the training  were selected randomly.