As extracted from thenationonlineng that, It was a day of joy for 170 young women trained as mechanics by the Lady Mechanic School of Automative Engineering when they graduated penultimate week in Lagos after undergoing two years of paid training.
The hall of the Government Technical College, Agidingbi, venue of the graduation, was teeming with the guests and well wishers who came to felicitate with the young women seeking to make a name in a male-dominated profession.
Mrs Sandra Aguebor, the brain behind the Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI), was excited that the initiative, which enjoys funding of the MacArthur Foundation, had saved the young women from poverty.
She also said LMI was training 90 girls from public secondary school during the long holidays free of charge and urged girls to embrace the initiative.
“The graduation today is a great one. The girls have been empowered and are ready for employment. The school pupils here today can also do some things. We have a long waiting list of people wanting to enroll for our programme. We need to encourage other women; we need to reduce poverty.
“Training of Lady Mechanics is free; we pay these girls to learn. If you want your daughter to be involved, bring her to us and in two years, she will be a star,” she said.
In her speech, the Deputy Governor, Mrs Idiat Adebule, who was represented by Mr Olawumi Gasper, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), thanked Mrs Aguebor for investing in the girls. She counseled the beneficiaries to put their training to good use as a way of giving back.
“I enjoin you that you should reciprocate the gesture and the opportunity offered you by the Lady Mechanic Initiative to be diligent and committed to your work as lady mechanics. You have been empowered and equipped with skills that will help you generate wealth for yourselves, your families and live a fulfilled life,” she said.
Consul General of the United States, F. John Bray, who was represented by General Services Officer, Steven Fox, praised the girls for “breaking the glass ceiling”. “I want to congratulate you; good luck every one,” he said.
One of the graduands, Faith Sunday, said she was a footballer before the training, said she was happy to have listened to her friend’s advice to sign up for it.
“I heard about this training from a friend that graduated in 2013. She works with Choscharis. We played football together. I thought that since I could play football, which is hard, I can do it. They paid me N10,000 per month in the first year. We had both theory and practical training.
“I intend to work in a company because the roadside is not befitting us ladies,” she said.
The programme was graced by representatives of various ministries including the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Women Affairs, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB).
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonaya Onu, represented by Prof Lucy Ogbadu, Director General, National Biotechnology Development Agency, praised LMI for the training.
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