Ojo Federal Constituency In Lagos Takes Steps For Repositioning In Global Economic Space – Rep Seyi Sowunmi 

An inspiring initiative by an Honorable member of Federal House of Representatives, representing Ojo Federal Constituency in Lagos, Honourable Seyi Sowunmi has been declared open.

This project in line with Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, STEM is designed to foster and coordinate the interest of the women and the girl-child in STEM careers.

After a successful first cohort launched on the International Day of the Girl Child in 2024, the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, STEM 2.0 series has again returned this year with bigger, better, and more sustainable vision,with a view to accomplishing the desirable educational objectives of the girl-child and skills acquisition for youths and women.

This year, report indicates that Honourable Sowunmi has again secured a powerful partnership with Black Girls in Technology in the United Kingdom,UK, to help bridge the digital divide and equip girls and women especially in Lagos to compete confidently in the global technological space.

Teenage girls from the age of 14 in the public girls’ secondary schools across Ojo are now opportune to participate in this once in life time opportunities.
Three girls are to be selected from each school per phase in Ojo federal constituency.

The program will run 3 phases on a yearly basis, each offering a 3-month after-school digital class, closing each phase with provision for fascinating prizes for the students.

The program tagged “Empowering the next generation: Building future innovators.; Ojo Girls in STEM 2.0
opening doors! shaping destinies.

To achieve this desirable educational objectives,Hon. Seyi Sowunmi has established state-of- the -earth- skill acquisition centre in Ojo constituency

The skills acquisition centre which has the capacity for over 480 learners per cohort is established to empower youths and women in the constituency with highly sought after skills.

The rare opportunity will allow the learners to compete favorably with their counterparts across the country and give them a platform to benefit from the robust opportunities in the vocational space.

According to Hon.Sowunmi,the vision is about growth, empowerment, opportunities for youths and women to assert themselves in vacational skills needed to strive and contribute meaningfully to the economy.

He said “The Ojo Skills Acquisition and Capacity Building Programme is not just another initiative. It is a seed being planted for a stronger and more prosperous Ojo residents for greater tomorrow.

“Ojo as a constituency is blessed with vibrant markets, brilliant youths, creative artisans, determined women, and hardworking residents,hence the need for the initiative to help the upcoming youths and women in this category.

With this development,the struggle with unemployment, underemployment, and lack of access to viable opportunities within Ojo will become a thing of the past”Hon Sowunmi asserted.

“We all know young people in Iba, Okokomaiko, Ijanikin, Ojo town, Alaba, Agbara axis, and the many communities within our constituency who have the passion to succeed,this is why we are here today to give our people the platform they deserve”Sowunmi said.

“The truth is simple: the world no longer rewards certificates alone. The world rewards skills, innovation, creativity, and competence. A degree opens a door, but skills build the house,” the lawmaker maintained.

Hon. Sowunmi further said that in a constituency as entrepreneurial as Ojo federal constituency with places like Alaba International Market, one of the biggest electronics markets in Africa , where entrepreneurial skills are its driving force, skills acquisitions are not optional. Skills are the survival,the power and the wealth.

“From technological skills to electrical work, from fashion to beauty, from welding to catering, from digital marketing to fashion designing
skilled people run the economy.And these are my focus for the youths and women in Ojo federal constituency ”

Hon. Sowunmi maintained that it is his desire to turn Ojo community into a hub of skilled, employable, and self-reliant environment with valued individuals, highly respected in the global economy.
He said Ojo will soon become a constituency where our young people do not wait endlessly for government jobs, but where individuals will be employers of labour.

The lawmaker said he is on the verge of building a constituency where women can start small businesses that support their families and at the same time serve as support pillers to protect their families.

“A constituency where artisans are not struggling, but thriving. A constituency where talent is matched with training.
A constituency where your hands and your creativity can feed you with or without a certificate”Hon. Sowunmi explained.

On a general note,Hon Sowunmi assured the teeming youths,girls and women that the initiative will equip them with necessary visions on skills in:
• Computer hardware/gsm repair
• Garment making & fashion design
• Highly sought after Digital Skills for our teenage girls in public secondary schools in Ojo
• Beauty and cosmetology
• Agro-processing and modern farming
• Mechanical and construction-related trades
• Entrepreneurship and financial literacy

“Aside from teaching skills, we want to help our participants transform their training into real businesses through mentorship, guidance, and continuous support.

“Our brilliant youths from Ojo town to LASU area, from Iyana School to Okoko, from Igbo-elerin to Ilogbo, I say this with my full chest: You are the future of this constituency. And the future must be built, not wished for.

This programme gives you the tools, but you must bring the commitment. Wake up every day ready to learn. Stay focused. Master your craft. Build your confidence. And when the training ends, use your skills to create value.

A skill in your hand is a weapon—
a weapon against poverty, against unemployment, against dependence,” Hon. Sowunmi asserted.

To the women in Ojo federal constituency, Hon Sowunmi praised their courage, emphasizing on their strength as the bedrock of development in the constituency.

“Many of you combine work, family, and business, yet you keep going. This programme is for you. It is designed to help you start, grow, or expand your own ventures. With the right skill, you will no longer wait for support you will become the support,”Sowunmi explained.

He believes it is a new chapter in the story of Ojo federal constituency, a chapter where skills become the new currency, where competence becomes the new qualification, and where empowerment becomes the foundation of our development.