Barr Akeem Agbaje, a Frontline (2027) gubernatorial Aspirant in Oyo state, under the All Progressive Congress Party (APC), has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support for technical and vocational education, as he urged parents, organisations and governments at all levels to provide equal opportunities for self- actualisation to the girl child as well as largely unmotivated and “underserved rural youths”.
He made this call yesterday at a symposium organized by the Federal Technical College, Yaba – Lagos tagged: “Day of the African Child 2025: Nurturing Potentials , Unlocking Opportunities, Securing African Future” where, as a Child Rights Advocate, he spoke as Special Guest Speaker, with the Iyalode-General of Lagos – Hajia (Dr.) Mrs Bintu Fatima Tinubu, the Matriarch of Tinubu Dynasty, as Mother of the Day.
Addressing a crowd of students, teachers and guests in the college’s hall, he stressed that African youths remained the continent’s greatest resource as “over sixty percent of them are under twenty five years” and therefore making every investment in African Child an investment in Africa.Agbaje emphasized that there’s need to shift their mindset from the misconception that Africa is poor, to appreciating her abundant human and natural resources, and deploy their creative brilliance acquired through education and vocational skills towards making Africa great and powerful.
This according to him is the very essence of government support, particularly the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for technical education and vocational skills acquisition.
Moving on to child development, Agbaje averred, “every child needs someone who believes in him/her, build beliefs and leadership, overcome inferiority complex”. This he said, is necessary to “unlocking entrepreneurship opportunities, encourage problem solving and local innovation and bridge the gap between talent and access”.
He further challenged all stakeholders in child development to brace up towards securing Africa’s future where children are educated, empowered, protected and engaged: advising government on policy simplification and implementation, corruption reduction, and infrastructure, as well as access to capital . Encourage “youth-led change through investment in leadership development from a young age, fight poverty through education and just aid, leverage digital tools and innovation hubs”.
In his conclusive remarks he called to action: individuals to discover and develop their skills, stay curious and collaborate. Teachers to teach “purpose” by teaching beyond the curriculum. Parents are to be “present and involved”, while organisations “offer mentorship, internship and funding, as “Africa’s future is now in your hands”, he concluded.
