The beneficiaries received training in various fields, alongside equipment and starter kits to help them establish businesses and achieve financial independence.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, disclosed this at the graduation ceremony held at Kensington Adebutu Hall, University of Ibadan, on Friday.
Arogundade said the initiative was designed to address poverty by equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and resources to create sustainable livelihoods rather than depending solely on direct financial assistance.
She said, “Mr President believes that our young people do not simply need assistance. They need opportunity. They need skills. They need the tools to compete and build sustainable livelihoods.”
The training, which ran from September 28 to October 9, 2026, was implemented through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education.
According to Arogundade, 30 participants received specialised training in artificial intelligence and graphics design, while 85 each were trained in make-up artistry and fashion design.
She added that another 500 beneficiaries would receive digital devices to support their participation in the growing digital economy.
The graduates received laptops, make-up kits, sewing machines and digital tablets, depending on their respective areas of training.
Delivering the keynote address, the Principal Consultant, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, stressed the importance of equipping young Nigerians with artificial intelligence skills, noting that major economies such as the United States and China were investing in the technology across sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing and automobile production.
Also speaking, the make-up artistry instructor, Rukayat Muhammad, said the skills acquired during the programme could provide beneficiaries with opportunities for financial independence if properly developed and marketed.
Muhammad urged the trainees to view the equipment provided as an investment in their future and use it to establish and expand their businesses.
Addressing the graduates, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, urged them to turn the training into viable businesses capable of creating employment opportunities for themselves and others.
He said the intervention could contribute to reducing unemployment and poverty if the beneficiaries effectively applied the knowledge and resources provided.
Alli said, “The training and equipment provided are not just gifts; they are tools to build sustainable businesses, achieve financial independence and create employment for others.”
One of the beneficiaries, Olaleye Idowu, a 400-level International Relations student at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the artificial intelligence and graphics design training had introduced him to the fundamentals of the technology and its practical applications.
He said the training had exposed participants to how artificial intelligence could improve efficiency in their work.
Arogundade urged the graduates to build on the skills acquired and share their knowledge with others in their communities to extend the programme’s impact.
She said the beneficiaries should see the graduation as the beginning of their journey towards economic independence and continue to develop their skills.
Dignitaries at the event included the senator representing Oyo Central, Yunus Akintunde; the Oyo State APC Women Leader and Tinubu Torch Bearers coordinator, Dr Adekemi Opatunde; and the South-West Federal Constituency coordinator, Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo.