Ekiti State First Lady, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji has appealed to members of the State Executive Council to embrace the locally-made products of Adire Ekiti to boost local economy of the state and promote the state’s cultural heritage.
Dr Oyebanji made the plea while receiving members of the state exco to Adire Ekiti Hub on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti.
She appreciated members of the council for visiting the hub and pointed out that the hub has trained and empowered over 400 Youths from the Ekiti Central and Southern Senatorial District of the state with another 200 youths from the Ekiti North Senatorial District to commence training any moment from now
Intimating them with the overview and the progress of the hub, the Wife of the Governor, who explained that products from the center are now much in demand by individuals and various groups in the state and in the diaspora,
The Secretary to the State Government, Dr (Mrs.) Habibat Adubiaro, who led the team on the visit, commended the First Lady for the initiative, which she admitted would create jobs opportunity and give economic empowerment to hundreds of Ekiti youths and women.
While assuring the wife of the governor of their support, Dr. Adubiaro described the initiative as not only impressive and encouraging and therefore promised that the body would support the laudable initiative to create a sustainable ecosystem where the traditional crafts can thrive in the modern market
She hinted on the resolve of the Exco members to also facilitate training and empowerment of youths from their various constituencies, patronage of the local craft as well as promotion of the use of Adire fabrics during government functions to boost the products’ visibility.
“The Exco members are here Your Excellency to appreciate the Adire hub which is your initiative. We see this gesture as a patriotic move to promote local craftsmanship and also empower our youths. To this end , we appreciate you. Part of our reasons for coming is to assure you of our support and decision to facilitate how youths from our various constituencies will get enlisted and trained. By this, we will not only promote the venture, we will empower our people” the SSG stated.