LAUTECH SUG Empower Over 4,000 Students During 8months ASUU Strike, award Overall Best students with #400,000 as Start-Up Grants

The Empower Ladokites was a bid aimed at fulfilling the E- Empowerment in the ARISE (Academic Welfarism, Renovation, Innovation, Security, Empowerment) agenda of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Students’ Union Government (TEAM ARISE) led by Adeboye Anuoluwa. It was an initiative to empower the students with skills and resources outside academics to provide them financial strength during the 8months ASUU industrial strike action break. The Empower Ladokites was a skill acquisition and vocational training scheme that equipped the students with every skill and resource possible and enough to earn the students responsible living, a legitimate source of income, and consequently financial independence.

​The online registrations for Empower Ladokites started on 24th February and ended on 28th February 2022, with more than 4,000 students registering for it. This hallmark kicked off with an orientation on Monday, 7th March 2022 while the training runs through the ASUU strike period.

The empowerment program schedule was designed in a way that enabled each session to hold three classes per week. It involved sessions of twenty skills; 8 digital skills and 12 non-digital skills. The digital skills included Copywriting, Data Science, Digital Marketing, Digital Currency, Frontend Web Development, Graphics Designing, Python, UI/UX Design while the non-digital skills included Bag and Bead Making, Barbing, Catering and Decoration, Fashion Designing, Hairdressing, Interior Decoration, Make Up and Gele Tying, Paint Production, Photography, Shoe and Belt Making, Soap and Cream Making, Tye and Dye. Each session was provided with adequate resources and held at different suitable venues on campus and at different times to avoid sessions clashing and ease venue tensions.

The Empowerment scheme could never have been a success without the service of 23 willing and competent facilitators who volunteered to serve for free. The facilitators are thus: Adepoju Oyinloluwa (Bag and Bead Making), Adepoju Abiodun Ibrahim (Barbing), Adeola J. Alade and Ogunlabi Azeezat Temidayo (Catering and Decoration), Olanipekun Opeoluwa (Copywriting), Adeleke Victor Jesutosin (Data Science), Boluwatife Adegoke Oyewumi (Digital Marketing), John Adekunjo D. and Thelma Opurum Ekele (Digital Currency), Adeoye Damola (Fashion Designing), Olatunji Ibrahim Olasunkanmi (Frontend Web Development), Akano Michael Olaoluwa (Graphics Designing), Olabisi Falade (Hairdressing), Kolapo Iyanuoluwa Amos (Interior Decoration), Adeoye Taiwo and Adeoye Kehinde (Make Up and Gele Tying), Ajao Obaloluwa Adeleke (Paint Production), Engr. Goodness T. Opatola (Photography), Tewogbade Adedeji (Python), Jibril Olanrewaju Adelabu (Shoe and Belt Making), Ajao Khadijat Bolanle and Oshodi Ayobami Ifeoluwa (Soap and Cream Making), Adeleke Olusoji Faith (Tye and Dye), Olanrewaju Adefolake Mariam (UI/UX Design). These distinguished individuals labored to add value and impart the participants with fundamental knowledge and adequate field exposure in their respective sessions.

Yesterday, at the Students Empowerment Summit with the theme, Beyond the Classroom, Students Participation in Entrepreneurship: A Pathway to National Development held at The Great Hall, LAUTECH, all students that participated in this scheme were issued a certificate of completion, all facilitators were awarded a certificate of honor and a sum of four hundred thousand naira only (#400,000) was awarded to overall best students as beneficiaries of the Start-Up Grants.

The beneficiaries of the Start-Up Grants were Adegoke Karamah (Bag and Bead Making), Oyesola Adesewa (Barbing), Arohunmolase Favour (Catering and Decoration), Abdulrazak Abdulrasheed (Copywriting), Abdulrouf Waliyullahi (Data Science), Ogunwande Timi (Digital Marketing), Abebi Toyin F. (Digital Currency), Fategbe Eunice (Fashion Designing), Alabi Idris O. (Frontend Web Development), Ayomide Daniel (Graphics Designing), Elijah Tolulope K. (Hairdressing), Ogunjobi Eunice G. (Interior Decoration), Sanni Khadijat (Make Up and Gele Tying), Bakare Oluwafemi (Paint Production), Adetunji Victor (Photography), Fasina Ayomikun (Python), Taiwo Mercy Tolu (Shoe and Belt Making), Akinsoto Aminat Abiodun (Soap and Cream Making), Olabamiji Olaronke (Tye and Dye), Bamikunle David (UI/UX Design).

It is a great delight to see students already being productive in their skill of choice. Several of the beneficiaries of this empowerment program have proceeded to continue their learning at several places, some of which continued with their facilitators.

The Ag. Vice Chancellor, Prof. M.O Liasu, while delivering his goodwill message appraised the SUG Executives led by Adeboye Anuoluwa for empowering the students in profitable skills. The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. A.O Ige commended the SUG for their relentless effort throughout the 8months ASUU strike and for making use of the limited resources that are available to engage the students of the University in a lifetime career.

The Chairman of the Empower Ladokites who is also the Assistant General Secretary of the SUG, Azeez Olasunkanmi, in his address appreciated everyone who supported the program with all needed resources and equally showers a heap of praise on the resourceful facilitators and committee members who committed all of their energy and time to train the students. He ultimately encouraged the students to build more on what they have learned and see the Start-Up Grant as a lever to kick-start their entrepreneurial journey.

In his remark, the SUG President, Adeboye Anuoluwa, on behalf of the executives expresses his most earnest gratitude to the University management and entire students for giving them a chance to fulfill one of their campaign promises. He then encouraged all the students that participated in the scheme to make the best use of their acquired skills and the beneficiaries to make judicious use of their start-up grants. He further stated that this scheme will set a pace for more empowerment schemes in subsequent times from the school and other obliged bodies and administration. Yet, this will not be the end of our efforts to satiate the needs of the Students’ Union and fulfilling our promises to the students. We will strive to do more.

As it is now, Empower Ladokites has become a household brand name that empowered students in the history of LAUTECH. The Empower Ladokites is yet a remarkable and unrivalled initiative and second to none in the chronicles of the Students’ Union Government of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.

(Watch the Empower Ladokites Documentary with just a click on the link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LEZVBISJ_K0&t=38s)