Fashola plans small-scale business loans for Lagos graduates

The Custodian April 10, 2014

Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Thursday said that the government had concluded plans with micro-finance banks to assist graduates of Lagos State origin with flexible loans, to float small-scale businesses.

Fashola made the remark at the 22nd Convocation Ceremony and Awards of National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) of the Lagos State Polytechnic in Ikorodu.

He urged stakeholders in education to partner with the state government in ensuring improvements in the sector.

 The governor was represented on the occasion by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Oluranti Adegbule.

“We have set up microfinance schemes to provide loans for entrepreneurs who have good business plans and need start-up financing.

“The skills you have learned here will also serve you well as an entrepreneur in business innovations.

“Today, everyone wants to become doctors, bankers, lawyers in fact, some of the most successful people in the world never spent a day in another person’s company.

Fashola urged corporate bodies, individuals and parents to motivate, encourage, counsel and groom the education of the young ones in the state.

 “The responsibility of education cannot rest on government’s shoulders alone.

“We should endeavour to be role models, play our role and contribute our own quota to the future of our young leaders.”

He congratulated the graduates and urged them to be good ambassadors of the institution, and to be prepared to face the challenges of the outside world, where there were lots of opportunities.

Earlier, the Rector of the institution, Mr Abioye Lawal, said the institution had graduated 70,000 well-trained students since its inception in 1977.

“From the inception of this great institution up to the 21st convocation ceremony, the polytechnic had turned out 70,000 graduates.

“The feedback received in the polytechnic indicates that our graduates are competing favourably well in various sectors of the economy.

“The institution is proud to have its graduates competing favourably well with their counterparts from other institutions,” Lawal said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 9,719 ND and 5,201 HND graduates took part in the convocation.

Mr Timi Paseda, a philanthropist, gave cash prizes of N500, 000 and automatic employment to the overall best student and others who performed brilliantly.

Mr Adebola Adedoyin, the best graduating student in the full-time HND programme for the 2012/2013 academic session, said that education played a vital role in national development and defined the path of growth in any country.

He urged his colleagues to make good use of what they had acquired, which he said, would help them to succeed in life. (NAN)