By Olugbolade Ogboro-Cole
In a decisive move to drive true economic inclusion, the Ekiti State Government has announced a radical new policy for its Skills Acquisition Program for Persons with Disabilities: beneficiaries will no longer choose their own work placements. The policy was declared on Wednesday in Ado Ekiti as the state flagged off a new eight-month vocational training cohort for 100 carefully selected individuals from across the 16 Local Government Areas in the state.
The program was formally declared open by the Commissioner for Investment,Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives,Honorable Tayo Adeola, at the State Acquisition Center in Ilokun.The event emphasized Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji’s “shared prosperity” mandate, pivoting from tokenism to what officials call “practical empowerment.”
Senior Special Assistant on Special Education and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Adetoun Agboola, stated the new directive with unmistakable clarity. “The reason we are involving all of you now is that they will no longer choose where they will serve,” she addressed gathered partners and association leaders. “We will hand them over to you so that you will help us put them in the right places to learn.”
Agboola further announced the creation of a permanent support system, vowing, “when they have done their graduation, we want a place where they can always go back to for professional support whenever it is needed.” She hailed the initiative as “proper economic empowerment” for an often-forgotten community, revealing that the state has already employed 38 persons with disabilities into the civil service in the last three years and appointed seven into leadership and board roles.
She noted that the program since inception had witnessed drastic improvement haven trained 30 beneficiaries in 2023,40 trainees in 2024,60 in 2025 and now in 2026 100 beneficiaries will go through strictly monitored eight(8) months training at the center and three(3)months siwes at designated centers.
Echoing this commitment, the Executive Secretary of the Office of Disabilities, Mr.Bayo Odewale, in a statement, detailed the program’s expansion into fields like ICT, catering, shoemaking, and fashion design. “Truly, the Governor’s words are his bond,” the Secretary stated, “because he has proven once again that inclusion should not be about tokenism but about equipping persons with disabilities with practical skills that enable self-reliance.”
Following the speeches, invited dignitaries took turns to give remarks, centering their appeals directly to the seated beneficiaries. They unanimously urged the trainees to embrace the rare opportunity with utmost diligence, punctuality, and dedication, emphasizing that their personal commitment would determine the program’s success.
The high table guests, including Commissioner Adeola and SA Agboola, were thereafter given a guided tour of the Center’s facilities, inspecting workshops and equipment for the various trades. The event concluded with a formal vote of thanks delivered by the Director,Skills Acquisition Center Mr.Akinlabi Adeyemi, who expressed profound gratitude to the state government and partners for turning what many beneficiaries called an “answered prayer” into a tangible path to independence.
