Another batch of 100 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) have been equipped with trade and working tools following their graduation from an intensive training programme at the Skills Acquisition Centre for Persons with disabilities, Iloku, Ado-Ekiti.
The training and empowerment of the PWDs, organized by the Office of Dissability Affairs in conjunction with the Office of Special Adviser. Special Education and Social Inclusion, is in line with the Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji Administration’s inclusive policy that ensures everyone is carried along in the shared prosperity agenda of the government.
The beneficiaries were trained in various vocational skills, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), tailoring, hairdressing, shoemaking, catering and hospitality, equipping them with practical knowledge and skills to become self-reliant and establish their own businesses.
They were also provided with the necessary machines, tools and equipment to commence work in their various areas of training. The items include sewing machines, hairdressing and salon equipment, shoemaking machines and tools, ICT equipment, as well as catering and hospitality equipment, giving the beneficiaries the needed support to put their newly acquired skills into practice.
Speaking at the graduation and empowerment ceremony held at the premises of the Skills Acquisition Centre, on Friday, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr Oyeniyi Adebayo, said Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration had improved the fortune of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the state through inclusive governance and various programmes designed to give every citizens a sense of belonging, irrespective of their physical condition, background or social class.
Adebayo noted that the Oyebanji led-administration had demonstrated commitment to building a society where PWDs could access opportunities, acquire skills and contribute meaningfully to the development of the State.
Addressing the ecstatic graduands, Adebayo said the initiative underscored the Oyebanji administration’s commitment to inclusive governance, all round development, economic empowerment and the creation of opportunities for every segment of the population including the PWDs.
He said by combining vocational training with the provision of startup equipment, the programme seeks to promote independence, encourage entrepreneurship and ensure that PWDs are active participants in the state’s economic and social development. He charged the graduands to make good use of the skills and equipment provided for them, urging them to remain focused, committed and determined to succeed.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Special Adviser on Special Education and Social Inclusion, Princess Adetoun Agboola, said the training and empowerment programme had recorded steady growth since its inception, noting that it started with 30 participants in 2023, increased to 40 in 2024 and 60 in 2025, while 100 PWDs graduated and received empowerment support in 2026.
She attributed the expansion of the programme to the commitment of the Oyebanji administration to creating opportunities for PWDs, stressing that the steady growth was made possible because of the government’s belief that disability is not inability.
Agboola said the 2026 class was particularly significant as 10 of the 100 beneficiaries are parents of children with severe disabilities, adding that the parents especially mothers, had for years been unable to pursue meaningful economic activities because of the round-the-clock care required by their children
She noted that the establishment of the EKSG Therapy Centre for Children with Disabilities has changed the situation by providing a safe and professional environment where the children could receive therapy and care. The development, according to her, has given their parents opportunity to acquire skills, engage in economic activities and earn a livelihood while their children receive the necessary support from Government.
While expressing her deep appreciation to Governor Oyebanji for transforming the lives of the PWDs, Princess Agboola said “ to our award-winning disability champion Governor, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, I say a big thank you to you sir, for your leadership, guidance, support, empowerment and help.
“Every December 21 since 2022, you celebrate your birthday with children in the Special Schools and have given a clear mandate to all your friends, associates and families never to celebrate you with parties or advertorial, but to divert the fund to the special schools. The latest project from the proceeds is the BAO Vision Studio in the Government Special School for the Blind, Ikere- Ekiti, a musical studio for recording songs professionally for our blind students who are very musically inclined”.
Also at the event were Commissioner for Education, Dr (Mrs) Olabimpe Aderiye, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Peju Babafemi, Commissioner for infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof. Bolaji Aluko; Special Adviser, Tertiary Education, Prof. Akeem Azeez; Chairman, Ekiti State Internal Revenue Service, Mr Olaniran Olatona, among others.
