Ariyo Samshudeen, Lagos.
“The right time to combine Entrepreneurial, Technical and Secular knowledge is today, the days when parents concentrate on academics alone for their children is gone forever “.
These were part of the words of encouragement to the Nigerian youths and parents by Engineer Abdul Waheed Adeoye , The Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders (Sadr Majlis Ansarullah, Nigeria), during the Foundation Laying ceremony for the Garri Factory at Awe, Oyo State recently .
He recalled his early life when all members of a family have opportunities of learning one vocational skills or another but today, everyone is looking for white collar jobs, which was a product of western education.
He earlier thanked the stakeholders in the project, calling on all to spare no effort in making it not only fruitful but equally enduring.
The traditional rulers of the town, the Alawe represented by Ekeji of Awe, praised the Ahmadiyya Elders for citing the Garri Processing factory in his domain, as the project has boosted employment opportunities for indigenes, market for farm produce, among others.
He equally noted his readiness to help resolve the challenges the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is facing in some adjacent communities under Awe kingdom.
While welcoming the audience earlier, the Oyo Circuit President , Comrade Tajudeen Abdus-Salam, took time off to request that head of Ahmadiyya elders group should favour Oyo area with hosting rights of 2020 (Majlis Ijtema) convention of the group.
Other dignitaries who graced the occasion included Maulvi Hashim Badmus, Oyo Central Missionary, Alhaji Yusuf, and other principal officers of the group from Lagos including Alhaji Idris, Alhaji Dauda Raji, the Coordinator Zone 5-Alhaji Raheem, the Coordinator Zone 2 Uncle Taoheed Shoboyede and Abdul Gani Babalola, brother Adebisi.
The Business Committee Chairman, Alhaji Ogunmola, said that the Garri processing project would great assist the propagation of Islam and Ahmadiyya in Awe town. He prayed for more successful projects for the Business Committee.