NASFAT WOMEN’S WEEK: SKILLS ACQUISITION GRADUATION: “The Youth Grow In The True Image Of Their Parents And The Environment Of Their Upbringing”…Alh. Engr. Kayode Sote, FNSE, FAEng
Fausiat Salako-Sanni
October 22, 2022
It’s important to state that every child is unique and with Allah’s blessings, each child possesses some inborn talent or qualities that make them excel in life. Meanwhile, it is important to state that youth education and mentoring through moral upbringing and maturity index is the new paradigm shift towards achieving the millennium goals for a socio-economic development of a nation. However, catching them young with the objective of inculcating the spirit of hardwork, fear of God, service delivery and leadership quality in them for their future development and advancement of local and international understanding become sacrosanct. Meanwhile, in order to ensure a new orientation for the youths and play down their penchant for indiscipline and abuse of freedom under the pretense of youthful exuberances coupled with the negative effects of societal influence of peer group syndrome, parental negligence and indulgence.
This was the view of the guest lecturer, Alh. Engr. Kayode Sote, FNSE, FAEng who spoke on the topic, THE YOUTH ARE OUR FUTURE: BUILD OUR YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE, at the skills acquisition graduation ceremony held in commemoration of the 23rd annual Nasfat National Women Affairs Management Committee’s week at Ijaye Central Mosque, medium housing estate, Ogba-Agege, Lagos with the theme, “Muslim Women in a Challenging World: Attaining Success Here and Hereafter”.
According to him, a knowledge-based or knowledge-driven economy is the bedrock of the millennium developmental drive throughout the world. As a result of this predominance and value, the federal government thus adopted measurable steps in this direction by packaging a comprehensive policy tagged the National Policy on Education (NPE), the package serves as a blueprint that spells out a harmonious strategy geared towards the pursuit of set goals and aspirations calculated to orientate and fast-track the social, cultural, economic, political, scientific and the technical advancement of the nation.
“The policy incorporates the early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Mass Literacy, Adult Education, Science Technical & Vocational Education, (TVE), Tertiary Education, Open and Distance Learning Education and Special Education. The future of Nigeria, therefore, depends on the human capital development of the youth that incorporates both qualitative and moral education. ” It is against this background that I give kudos to Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society, NASFAT for conceptualising this initiative and giving supports to virtually all the aspects of life that help build and improve well balanced humanity”.
According to Nasfat National Economic Empowerment Secretary, (NEES) Alhaja Adegeye Fausat Folashade, about 67 graduands were graduated in various vocation skills such as POP and Skidding, Shoes and leather work, fabric stoning, organic, herbal soap production and cosmetics. The programme is being held just like every other activities as usual to commemorate the annual Nasfat women’s week which has been happening for the past 23 years and it is done to empower women of Nasfat both old and young, so that they can have skills that can make them become entrepreneurs and contributors to the growth and improvement on the Nation’s economy.
The graduating students have been in the various skills acquisitions training for the past one month and this event marks the end of the training hence the graduation ceremony.
“As a matter of fact some of the graduands and their products are already in the market place, producing and selling. For instance, the leather work and the organic work are in the market competiting with their counterparts.” But notwithstanding there’s room for further improvement/training to elevate their work. In the same vein, the POP/Skidding graduands have been put on a whatsapp platform, where whenever there’s job opportunity in this regard, at construction sites, they will be contacted and invited to take up the job and proof their worth. So, they are not left alone after the graduation, there’s mentoring/mentorship platforms.”
She however advised the graduands to make ample use of the knowledge acquired as this is an opportunity that is very rare and now that they have the opportunity they should make good use of it and not just to throw the certificate under the table or bed, they should endeavour to learn more and put the knowledge into practice. As practice makes perfection.
In an interview with General Manager of NAZAS, Muftau Adelotan, said Nasfat Agency for Zakat and Sadaqah NAZAS as an agency has partnership with the NASFAT National Economic Empowerment Committee, NNEEC to actualize the HELD policy of Nasfat National Executice Council.
“The partnership efforts is in two folds, NAZAS has just come up with a new scheme tagged ‘Train-To-Fund-Scheme’ TTFS. This scheme has categories of people that are being trained and they are being funded for their empowerment and the people that have been empowered by the National economic empowerment committee in both skilled and unskilled labour are two of these categories thats fall under the TTFS.”
“The other part of NAZAS initiative which is what NAZAS does anyway, is the empowerment of skilled labour, Artisans, those into small and medium scale businesses. So, NAZAS is in good partnership with the NNEEC to empower people in these areas.”
“To help boost the skills the graduands have acquired, is the reason NAZAS is present here at this 23rd women’s week skill acquisition graduation ceremony to have first hand information and evaluate the various skills available, check the products produced and display at the exhibition stands, so as to ascertain how well they are and in what ways NAZAS can further partner with them.”
Earlier in the GM of NAZAS speech, he disclosed that NAZAS is planning a food and clothing day later before the end of this year, where exhibition of the graduates from the TTF Scheme as well as some of the graduates from the NNEEC skill acquisition programmes will come and display their goods & trades. This will create an avenue for potential investors and opportunity to see what they do and sell for possible bigger and wider empowerment on their various skills.
“Packaging is another vital area of the production process hence, NAZAS is also looking in this direction as well, as the beneficiaries will be showcased to all the platforms available in NASFAT. Their contact details, what they do will be in NAZAS database and which will be made available at intervals on these identified NASFAT platforms for people concerned to see and do the needful as far as empowering and helping boost the various skills will be considered directly.
So this is what NAZAS is putting in place as we speak to help in packaging their products so as to meet the demand of the market place and to be relevant in the competitive market.”
He conclude his speech by advising the graduands to keep to what they’ve learnt, what they’ve been taught and go out there to proof their competency and professionalism in their various skills and be optimistic that fund will surely come their ways but they should start from somewhere while he prayed that the Almighty Allah SWT shall bless their efforts.
For the immediate past secretary of Nasfat NEEC, Alhaji Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Saka, Not less than 5,000 people have been trained in various skill acquisition by Nasfat. This initiative and opportunities are not limited to Nasfat members alone. The records are there for check. In Nasfat over a period of time, especially in the last 2-3 years and Nasfat has done so much in the area of skill acquisition. Financial empowerment has also been embarked on during these years, where over 500 women have been empowered with various amount of money which cut across the entire network of Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih society including the Missionary as well as non-members of the society not excluding the youths from different faith-based societies.
So as organization Nasfat is doing quite a lot to see to the economic well being of her members and the generality of humanity in our country through numerous Nasfat host communities in Nigeria, Africa and in the Diaspora irrespective of individual’s religion, Christians and even traditionalists, NASFAT always extend this hands of economic well being to all.
This is one bold step Nasfat is taking and has been taking to alleviate poverty in the land. It is in accordance with the HELD policy of the Executive council of the society which has been in operation since the beginning of the administration. Nasfat as a pacesetting religious organization is not just about Dawah, Asalatu or spirituality awaken of the people, it is equally concerned about livelihood and enlightenment of the society. Hence, the continuous pursuit of the four cardinal point of the present NEC which started about 2 years ago, is the HELD policy which is translated as Health, Education, Livelihood and Dawah.
“All these four acronym, it is difficult to find any human being in life who does not need any of these. Is it healthy life, good education because knowledge is power, livelihood, we need to live and be comfortable as much as possible, then everyone also needs the spirituality so as not to go astray from the Creator and His commands, to help one strengthen ones faith, this is what NASFAT is doing and we are determined to continue to do it.”
”The graduation ceremony is done in conjunction with the National women affairs management committee and this year isn’t an exception. The skills that the graduands were trained on this year, are what is needed in today’s market. POP/Skidding for instance is highly needed for interior decoration of both residential and construction works. So, the skills are in line with the demand of the present day society. Same with the leather/shoe works.”
“In my speech, I asked the following questions, who does not wear shoes, who does not bathe with soap, who does not to love to live in a beautiful, serene, conducive environment and home? And all these skills have been taught to make provision for this humanity needs. They are very relevant and enterprising skills focused if seriously and well taken care of by the graduands.
High point of the event was the presentation of certificates to the graduands. Some of the graduands expressed their joy and profound appreciation to NASFAT for the knowledge and skills they have been empowered with while promised to make best use of the opportunity and become CEOs of their own businesses by the grace of the Almighty Creator.
