NINETEEN skill acquisition graduate trainees have commended their sponsor and benefactor, Olorogun Engr. Anthony Uwanogho, for giving them a lifetime opportunity to become employers of labour.
The trainees, sponsored by Connect2Hope Foundation, chaired by Engr. Uwanogho, graduated from the Delta State Vocational Education Centre, Afiesere Community Centre, in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Trained in various skills including Welding and Fabrication, ICT, Electricals, Hairdressing and Makeover, Fashion and Design, and Catering, the graduates expressed gratitude to their sponsor for empowering them with the means to create livelihoods.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the Afiesere Centre, Olorogun Uwanogho, represented by the Acting Director of Connect2Hope, Mr. Alex Ubiebor, said:
“Let me begin by expressing my deepest appreciation to the management, staff, and trainers of the Afiesere Skills Centre. Your dedication, patience, and commitment to excellence have given our young men and women not just knowledge, but a future.
“To our graduating trainees, today is proof that with focus, discipline, and resilience, you can transform your lives. What you have achieved is not just a certificate, it is the power to stand on your own feet, provide for your families, and contribute to the growth of our Ughelli community.
“At Connect2Hope, we are humbled to have played a small part in this journey by sponsoring you through this programme. But the journey does not end here. Skills need tools; dreams need resources. To truly empower these graduates, we must equip them to take the next step, whether that is with sewing machines, barber kits, catering equipment, or other start-up tools.
“I appeal to individuals, organisations, and leaders of our community to partner with us to sustain these graduates and their families, and inspire the next set of indigenes we plan to sponsor in the September intake. Together, we can transform our communities, build a stronger, powerful, and independent Urhobo Nation, one skill, one life, one family at a time.”
Commending their sponsor, the graduates said Olorogun Engr. Uwanogho had given them hope for today, tomorrow, and the future by empowering them with relevant skills.
A trainee sponsored in Welding and Fabrication, Mr. Adutomare Ambrose, speaking on behalf of others, said:
“I want to commend Olorogun Engr. Uwanogho for helping and sponsoring us at the skill acquisition training since January. He has given us hope, and for him to have sponsored all of us across different departments, Welding, Catering, ICT, Electricals, Fashion/Design, and Hairdressing/Makeover, is a testament that he wants a sane society of people with skills.
“As if that was not enough, during this intensive training period, he also gave us stipends to encourage us, and now he is set to provide starter packs for all of us who went through the training. Our appreciation to him and the Connect2Hope Foundation, where hope never fails, is that God should continue to empower him to do more for society.
“We can now boldly say we are employers of labour because he has given us what some political office holders fail to do for the people they represent.”
On his part, the Administrator of the Afiesere Skills Acquisition Centre, Mr. Augustine Isahwe, commended Olorogun Uwanogho for sponsoring 20 persons in the six-month programme.
Known for his selflessness and philanthropic gestures, Olorogun Uwanogho has also built an eight-unit block of toilets with modern facilities and a borehole at Uduere Primary and Secondary Schools.
He has donated water pumps to Abovwe, Uduere, and Ujode communities in Ughelli North, and other communities in Ethiope East Local Government Area. Every year, he pays JAMB enrolment fees for students and donates educational materials to both primary and secondary schools within Ughelli and other parts of Delta State.
