The Federal Government (FG), said it plans on upskilling 20 million artisans in the country, in the next four years.
The Director General (DG) of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Afiz Oluwatoyin who made the revelation said the President has given them the mandate to upskill 5 million artisans in the first year.
He said in the next year, another 5 million would be upskilled for four years, with the aim of upskilling 20 million artisans in total in four years.
The DG said this yesterday in Abuja at a stakeholder meeting with designated trade associations, aimed at enlightening the trade associations and their members on the planned unveiling of the Skill Up Artisan programme (SUPA) as part of the renewed hope agenda of the Federal Government aimed at upskilling artisans in Nigeria.
He said the ITF would register artisans, categorize them and set up trainings in training centers, both within ITF and private training centers.
He said: “You see, in the past, nigerian artisans have been operating like illiterate, like low level people. When you go outside, you find out that artisans are up there. In some countries, they earn more than the professors. You can’t pay. If you are not strong enough financially, you may not be able to pay them.
They are well respected.
“When I came down here, I saw people from other countries taking up jobs. Of course they have the right to we have the International Labor Organization and labor law which permits them. But found out that Nigerians were no longer giving fellow Nigerians job. People from other countries taking up our jobs, they have the right to, but it should be a big market that nobody should be pushed aside.
“Then, as I was thinking of this, the United Nations (UN) Assembly came and our president, with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, launched a program, the national talent export program. They want to export our talent. We want to scale up nigerian artisans, want to upgrade nigerian artisans.
“We want to register everybody, categorize and set up trainings in training centers, both within ITF and private training center. The president has given us the mandate to upskill 5 million artisans in the first year. The next year, another 5 million. So in four years, we are to upskill 20 million artisans. So the artisan will come in. ITF cannot handle everything. We have some training centers, also private centers in the country, we are going to certify. We are going to look at them.
“We don’t want quackery in Nigeria again. We want standard artisans that can stand up anywhere in the world and measure. We want to upgrade Nigerian artisans to international standard. Nigerians all over the world, we all know are best at what they do. But without enough knowledge, the disgrace will be coming back home to us, which we already seen little by little from some countries.
“But we cannot scale up artisans without carrying along the artisan association. That’s why today we have decided to bring you in to introduce you to this program to tell you what we have for you. Because without you, the program may not succeed because you are the landlords.
“What is in it for Nigerians? We have three openings. One opening is a conduit pipe. So it’s a conduit pipe between the Nigeria government, as a country and government of other countries. We have a lot of countries already talking with us. For the Germans, it has gone very advanced. For the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, I had a meeting with their minister over the weekend. Advanced talk already in place. So that pipe is going to be channeled between two countries, Nigeria and Germany, Nigeria and Japan, Nigeria and Great Britain, Nigeria and UAE, Dubai. That pipe is going to be like that.
“When the national export program was launched, they were very happy at the UN. That means there is a channel now from government to government. In fact, the conditions put in place by some countries are so enticing that I wish I was an artisan.”
Speaking on behalf of the Trade unions, Motor Technicians is Oseni Suleiman said the associations have come together as a trade union.
He said it is the only trade union that exists in the mechanics and technician industry in Nigeria as the Amalgamated Union of Motor Mechanics and Technicians of Nigeria (AUOMMATON).
He said: “In that way we hope to be speaking in one voice and we felt that would be the height of regulation.
“So now that DG has brought up the upskill of artisans to become super, everybody know that super is a very fine thing and that has communicated into the program the DG has brought. Super skill artisans. I welcome that on behalf of my members. When I first heard that we are going to enter into a drum, I was looking for a way to run up. You put us inside drums But he quickly said, there are outlets. When I begin to listen to those outlets, I said, okay, I will be the first person to enter.
“It’s going to help us. I can assure you that we have had some plans that we’ll be doing at our levels. We want to assure you of our collaboration and support. When he initially said registration was free, it bothered me. If registration is going to be free, at what time is it going to be monitored? We are looking at that. At what time is it going to be monitored? Because as soon as all of us have gone out to talk to our members, the whole 35 million artist and counting. We fall into this program and then it begins to charge money.”
