The Lagos state government has flagged off the 2020 Lagos State Graduate Internship Placement Programme (LASGIPP), meant to enhance skill acquisition and curb youth unemployment.
The state government in a statement said the programme would help the beneficiaries to become viably self-employed.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony of the LASGIPP initiative at the Radio Lagos/Eko FM Marquee in Ikeja, Governor Sanwo-Olu challenged the lucky beneficiaries to prove their mettle at their various places of internship.
He assured them of a monthly stipend of N40,000 from the state government, throughout the period of the internship.
He called on the beneficiaries to aim for a higher goal of being financially independent, pursue the bigger picture of being chief executive officers of their individual companies later in future, and not be content with the stipend.
The governor, who was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity, and gather enough experience that would serve as a buffer to securing paid employment or as independent entrepreneurs.
According to Sanwo-Olu; “The Graduate Internship Placement Programme we are flagging off today is one of the State government’s capacity building programmes developed to change the narrative about our graduates being unemployable and lacking the requisite work environment ethics and culture.
“It is a unique variant among the numerous programmes designed to reduce the increasing unemployment rate in the country and also accelerate the State’s post-COVID economic recovery.”
Arobieke advised the interns to make the State Government proud in their respective organisations by being assets and not liabilities to their employers.
In his remark, the Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Wealth Creation, Mr. Jude Idimogu, expressed the belief that the engagement of the graduates as interns despite the myriad of challenges of year 2020 shows the genuine commitment of Governor Sanwo-Olu to gainfully engage the youths.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu, also assured that applicants under the GIPP, who are yet to be captured, would be included in the subsequent editions of the Programme.
He said, “Year 2021 would witness more of Youth friendly policies and increased engagements with the young generation and some stakeholders in the society, in addition to the promotion of grassroots sporting activities.”
