The Jakande Leadership Academy initiative is designed to prepare youths to take up leadership positions and governance in Lagos State towards building a society of resourceful individuals, whose potentials will drive the Greater Lagos vision.

These were the words of the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, who spoke on a Jordan 105.5FM programme – Lagos In Focus – on strategies undertaken by the Sanwo-Olu administration to ensure youth participation in the electoral process.

Omotoso said, “During the funeral of the late Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the major thing that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced was that we are going to build the Leadership Academy because Jakande showed sterling qualities in leadership; he showed exemplary leadership. We felt the only way to immortalise him is to build a leadership academy that people can come into and gain experience, have training and skills for leadership qualities that have made people like Alhaji Jakande, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to be great today”.

Buttressing his point further, the Commissioner stated that the APC government in Lagos State has given various opportunities to youths as a means of tutoring them to take up governance and leadership positions in the party hierarchy.

The Commissioner expressed belief in the ability of youths to solve the myriad of problems facing the society, saying that the government has invested huge funds in agriculture, tourism, entertainment and technology to support the amazing stuff the younger generation is achieving in entrepreneurship.

His words: “Recently, I followed the Governor to two tech hubs in Lagos and I saw our young people doing amazing things with technology. Doing things that you would be proud of. Trying to resolve everyday problems with technology. Look at how our young people are doing in the entertainment industry where the government has put in a lot of money.”

According to the Commissioner, the government has so many programmes for youth empowerment, with opportunities for fresh university graduates.

“There are no fewer than 4000 young graduates in various companies under the Internship Programme. They are trained for jobs opportunities and made employable,’ Omotoso said.

“Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) encourages people interested in business with low-interest loans”, he added.

Speaking on the focus of the government in the transportation sector, Omotoso said the addition of seven new boats to ply the waterways, the blue and red line rail projects as well as the ongoing process to kick-start the construction of the 4th Mainland bridge, are all steps towards decentralising means of transportation, taking pressure off the roads and creating an intermodal commuting system in Lagos.

“Fourth Mainland Bridge is going to see the light of the day. We are at the stage of picking the right contractor for the project and God-willing, by the end of this year, the Governor is going to perform the ground-breaking of the 4th Mainland bridge”, he stated.

While appealing to residents to continue the observance of all COVID protocols and urging that everyone should get vaccinated, the Commissioner warned that the virus is still around and has come in a more devastating manner.

He said, “We should do everything that we can here to stave off a disaster. All protocols must still be observed. The Delta variant is here”.

Omotoso maintained that COVID-19 vaccination in government hospitals is free because the pandemic is a public health issue.