Chef Aishatu Gamalia, the founder of the Dine and Pack Culinary Training Centre, Abuja, has advised secondary school students in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to embrace culinary as a vocational skill for self-reliance.
Gamalia gave the advice in Abuja on Saturday night, at the 2023 Interschool Cooking Competition organised by the centre.
Popularly known as Chef Mimi, Gamalia noted that learning a skill had become necessary given the harsh economic reality in the country, coupled with the absence of where white-collar jobs.
She warned parents and guardians on the dangers of failing to equip their children with skills.
According to her, the 21st century requires young people with vocational skills and not just paper qualifications.
She said the essence of the competition was to introduce students in various schools in the FCT, to vocational skills, particularly cooking.
“My passion for cooking triggered this. I am passionate about teaching children how to cook.
“We have a mini-chef competition where children from five years old cook on stages like this.
“For me, it is about creating awareness that you have to be equipped with a skill no matter what it is to support yourself financially.
“It can be cooking, tailoring or hair dressing. We just have to be equipped with a skill in our hands because the world is shifting to what you can really do with your hands.
“I believe what you can do with your hands, no one can take that away from you,” she said.
Gamalia said that the competition had created more awareness among young Nigerians, adding that more students have signed up for home economics in their various schools.
On her part, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, the founder of Helpline Foundation for the Needy, an NGO, applauded the centre for bringing young minds together to enhance their culinary skills.
Ahmadu, who was represented by the NGO’s Programme Officer, Mrs Damaris Yakubu, said competitions like this could redirect and refocus young minds to a purposeful and impactful life.
“I will advise these young children to see this beyond a competition as an opportunity to showcase their skills and the ability to do much more wherever they find themselves,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that four schools namely Model Secondary School, Maitama, Government Girls Secondary School, Dutse, Government Secondary School, Kubwa and Command Day Secondary School, participated in the 2023 edition of the competition.
The students displayed their culinary skills at various stages of the competition. (NAN)