The Nation Newspaper

Tag: artisans

  • Artisans, others educated on standards

    In furtherance of its drive to ensure quality in the built environment, Lafarge Africa, manufacturers of Elephant Cement and Elephant Supaset, at the weekend organised a training session / seminar for blockmoulders under the aegis of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON), in Sango Ota, Ogun State. The theme of the seminar was “Standard Quality Blocks in Construction.”The seminar was meant to enlighten artisans on best practices in the use of cement for block moulding. It was also aimed at appraising quality procedure for production of concrete blocks; identifying functional requirements for block moulding and to discuss the importance of quality control as it relates to the production of sandcrete blocks.

    The Relationship Manager, Block making and Precast section, Lafarge Africa, Mr. Soji Okesina, said after a thorough research by his firm, it was discovered that there was a need for a special purpose product for block moulding, hence the launch of ‘Elephant SUPASET’ in December 2010, to meet the specific needs of block moulders.

    Besides, Okesina said that the training, which will be spread round the country, became necessary because the block moulders represented the most important stakeholder in the building industry, accounting for about 40 per cent of its product usage.

    The training also emphasised the need for strict adherence to standard as prescribed by the standards organisation of Nigeria (SON), and also on the benefits of a good sandcrete block which are durability, safety, and sustainability, amongst others.

    The national president of NABMON, Alhaji Rasheed Adebowale, who disclosed that his members account for 66 per cent consumption of cement daily usage. He praised the company for the seminar  because “it will go a long way in creating awareness especially for new members.”

    In a  similar vein, the Ogun State chairman of the association, High Chief Olusanya, commended the effort of Lafarge for the training,saying the seminar will change their attitude towards block moulding. According to him, the Elephant Supaset is the best product for them. He advised the company to sustain the seminar because it has impacted so much on them and their businesses.

  • Oyo advises traders, artisans

    Traders and artisans who benefited from the N300million interest free loan under the Oyo State Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneur Development Scheme have been urged to not renege on the repayment.

    The Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Alli, said this while addressing the beneficiaries yesterday at the Secretariat, Ibadan.

    Alli said the government made the loan interest free  so that its re-payment would be convenient.

    He urged them to start re-paying, noting that the government will pay the interest on the loan.

     

     

  • Artisans receive working tools from lawmaker

    It was more like a parting gift for the different artisan associations in Apapa axis of Lagos as the outgoing representative of Apapa 1 constituency at the Lagos state House of Assembly, Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe, gave out working tools to all of them.

    The tools were given out in an empowerment programme put together by Egberongbe which took place at the weekend.

    Justifying the need for the programme, the lawmaker who said he has always reached out to his constituents by way of empowerment since he became member of the state assembly, a position he has held for two terms, disclosed that he gave out the tools to the different artisan associations in Apapa “in appreciation for all they have done for our party and also for their support for me.”

    While thanking his constituents for their support, Egberongbe urged them to extend the same support to his successor “and I sincerely hope you keep supporting me in whatever I do even from now,” adding that his leaders, party and constituents will decide his next political move.

    The benefiting associations were mechanic, vulcaniser, tailor, hairdresser, battery charger and car wash associations and they each went away with working tools relevant to their trade.

    While the tailor association went away with sewing machines, mechanic association collected motor mechanic tools; the hairdressers association went away with hair dryers; while the vulcanisers, battery chargers and car wash associations were given tools to enhance and make them more efficient in their trade.

    While commending Egberongbe, chairman of the occasion, former commissioner of home affairs and culture, Babatunde Balogun, said even though the lawmaker’s attempt to return to the assembly was not successful “he is not frustrated or deterred to do this kind of thing for our members. He is still trying to empower them, something he has always been doing, putting his resources in giving working tools to the workmen around here.”

    Balogun described the lawmaker as a loyal, committed, worthy, exemplary and inspiring representative. “So people should learn from the type of inspiration he is trying to give to our youths and to other people who are aspiring to be in the same position,” he said.

    While praying that God continues to bless Egberongbe, the senatorial leader in Apapa, Dr. Charles Esan, said, “he has been doing his best from beginning when he got to the Assembly and he is doing another one today on the verge of leaving the assembly, I commend him and may God continue to bless him,” Esan said.

    Speaking on behalf of the associations, Chairman of the Vulcaniser Association, Alhaji Musibau Oladele, said they were very happy over the working tools given to them by the lawmaker, “we thank him very much because all the tools he gave us here are very important for our work and that is how Egberongbe assists us every year,” Oladele said.

  • Our plans for tradesmen, artisans, by Buhari

    Our plans for tradesmen, artisans, by Buhari

    All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen Muhammadu Buhari vowed yesterday to improve the fortunes of artisans and tradesmen if elected president.

    He said his administration would provide soft loans for small businesses, improve power supply to reduce their running costs, and provide security to enable them practice their trade in a safe environment.

    According to him, APC recognises the value of tradesmen and artisans as vital components of the economy, and without them, economic progress and job creation would be impossible.

    Speaking during a town hall meeting with different trade associations at the Blue Roof, LTV 8 in Ikeja, Buhari said his administration would focus on empowering small business with a view to reducing unemployment.

    “Our government if elected promises to provide basic support to your businesses, especially with regards to power, which constitutes about 30 to 40 per cent of your operational cost and which is eating into your profits. We’re committed to accelerating steady power supply to aid your businesses.

    “Regular power supply will mean that you save at least N1,500 a day that you spend on fueling your generators. That amounts to about N40,000 a month and almost N500,000 per year which you can spend on yourself and family,” Buhari said.

    Speaking during the question and answer session, Buhari said the APC government would guarantee soft loans to make access to credit easier. “You can’t grow the economy without power and credit facilities.

    “The loans must be soft – the charges and interest must be very low to encourage businesses. The small industries will be able to employ more Nigerians than the government itself, so it makes more sense to improve the system. APC government will do this as fast as humanly possible,” Buhari said.

    His administration, he added, would study the report of the National Assembly’s probe of the power sector, and would not tolerate corruption.

    Promising to fix the roads, Buhari said when one considers how 16 years Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration has resulted in the death of the Nigerian Airways and the Nigerian Shipping Line, one would realise how incompetent the ruling party had been. “Vote PDP out,” he said.

    APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu urged the tradesmen and artisans who are yet to collect their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) to do so.

    He said PVC also stands for “Please Vote Change”, urging them to vote for change to bring in “an intelligent government.”

    “You need those who are intelligent to steer the ship of this nation successfully. General Buhari is the person we need this time,” he said.

    With reference to claims that Buhari is old to be president, Tinubu reminded the tradesmen and artisans that the late Obafemi Awolowo and Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe last contested for presidency when they were 74 and 79.

    He urged them not to be afraid of soldiers who may be deployed for the poll, telling the women: “The best way to disarm a soldier is to dress well. If you see a soldier, don’t run. Ask him: ‘You no get wife for house?’ I am going to vote.”

    Tinubu also reminded them to ensure their fingers are thoroughly washed before going to vote. “Don’t let that powder or foundation remain on your fingers. If you need to use alcohol or spirit to wipe it, do so,” he said.

  • Orji assures teachers, artisans, others on welfare

    Abia State Governor  Theodore Orji has  assured teachers, artisans and professionals  of the protection of their welfare, saying it remains one of the priorities of his administration.

    Speaking at a parley with heads of primary schools and National Union of Teachers NUT), integrated trade groups and Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI) in the state in Umuahia, Orji said that welfare of every worker was important.

    The governor promised that he will not toy with the interest of the groups, saying that he once taught for six months before venturing into the civil service.

    He said he was on the same pedestal with teachers.

    He also said that whatever concerns teachers and the various other groups in the state are of paramount concern to him and attributed the downturn in the economy as hampering some of his plans for them.

    Orji said that he showed his love for teachers in the state by promoting them to the next grade level on assumption of office and ensuring that they reach grade level 17 something he said is peculiar to Abia State alone.

    The governor urged the teachers to bear with his government as it has their interest at heart and advised them not to listen to the opposition which he said has nothing to offer.

    He said that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu who is a teacher will continue from where he will stop and correct whatever mistake he (Orji) may have made in office.

    Earlier, the Abia PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Ikpeazu who said that every teacher in the state would retain his job if he wins and promised to provide the enabling environment for teachers and pupils to excel.

    Speaking at the occasion, the state Chairman, Association of Primary School Head Teachers of Nigeria, Comrade Ekweghiam Christian pledged that the teachers will support the PDP but appealed to the governor to address some of their needs.

    In her speech, the Dean of Education Secretaries, in state, Mrs. Elizabeth Uhuegbu noted that teachers welfare have received great boost under Governor Orji, maintaining that it is under him that all teachers were promoted to the next grade level.

    Uhuegbu said that teachers now enjoy level 17 and promised that teachers in the state are happy with the governor and will support the candidature of Dr. Ikpeazu and other PDP candidates from state to national levels.

     

  • Lafarge to train artisans

    Lafarge WAPCO Cement has introduced an Artisan Capability Enhancements Programme (ACE).

    It is to promote best practices in construction, by creating awareness on standards for block making, enhancing the technical know-how of blockmakers and artisans groups on product application; educate artisans and block makers on the features, usage and benefits of different cement types among others.

    Managing Director,  WAPCO Operations, Mrs Adepeju Adebajo, said: “In the course of implementing ACES, Lafarge has organised series of programmes, including seminars and conferences, ‘train the trainer’ programmes and on site education and engagements. Overall, we have reached out to over 5,000 block-makers in over 26 locations in Nigeria.

    “Our Supaset brand is designed to meet the specific needs of block-makers as it was designed with their needs in mind, after exhaustive consultations and hence very popular becoming the brand of choice for them. We will continue to engage and educate artisans and block-makers while partnering with the Federal Government to increase the skills and competencies of artisans in the building sector.”

    She said Lafarge would also use the platform to seek partnerships  with relevant group to enhance and accelerate product knowledge, leading to brand acceptance, and subsequent recommendations and endorsement.

    Lafarge is partnering Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Block Makers Associations in Nigeria.

    The partnership has afforded Lafarge the opportunity to fast- track the implementation of ACES.

  • Council chief lifts artisans

    Council chief lifts artisans

    The Chairman of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, Benjamin Olabinjo, has empowered artisans with job tools.

    The beneficiaries included hair stylists, tyre repairers, barbers and technicians. They got various items, including hair dryers, electric clippers, spraying machines, deep freezers, generators and sewing machines.

    While distributing the items at the council’s Ijaiye secretariat, Olabinjo advised the beneficiaries: “Please make the best use of the tools; don’t sell them, so that you can be self-sufficient and have a strong means of livelihood.  We are doing this to assist people, especially the indigent and this is not the first time we would do it. We have distributed transformers and job tools in the past and I hope our successors would sustain this gesture.”

    “I promise to make people happy till the last day of my tenure. These items are for various categories of artisans and we expect that you will practise your vocation without violating law and order or indulge in roadside trading. We decided to add generators to the items because of the constant power outage in the country,” he added.

  • Lagos council chiefs empower physically-challenged, artisans

    Lagos council chiefs empower physically-challenged, artisans

    For Medinat Azeez, a physically challenged mother, it was all smile Thursday last week when her name was mentioned as a beneficiary of a hair dryer and an electricity generating set at the community empower programme organised by Conference 57, the umbrella body of chairmen of the 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State.

    The event which held at Teslim Balogun stadium saw scores of physically challenged persons, artisans and youth going home with empowerment tools that would help them start up their own business.

    Azeez, a hairdresser, who was assisted to the venue by her 18year old daughter, told The Nation that it meant a life changing experience for her and family.

    The visibly excited mother said she had depended solely on sporting activities before now to cater for the needs of her family adding that with the latest development the family can now have additional income that would help improve their status.

    Also Kazeem Waheed, another physically challenged person, a tailor who received tools for tailoring alongside a generator to power his shop described the gesture as very noble.

    He commended the chairmen for considering the physically challenged in their programme saying that it will go a long way to change their situation.

    Lagos State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Otunba Henry Ajomale who presented the tools to the beneficiaries said the problem of corruption in Nigeria will be a thing of the past when the party wrest power from the Peoples Democracy (PDP) in the 2015 general elections.

    Ajomale said the APC has decided to tackle the menace of corruption in the country and focus on three cardinal areas like; Women Development; Youth Development and Care for the disabled.

    According to him:”The issue of corruption must be eliminated by an APC government when the party gets into power. This is very important and key to our programmes when it comes to elections in 2015. When the APC takes over government from the PDP, these are the programmes that form part of our manifesto that would be tackled first.”

    Harping on the empowerment programme Ajomale said “we are distributing this because we want the average Nigerian to live comfortably. Every Nigerian is a stakeholder in government and we must see to it that everyone gets a chance to develop.

    “I want to specially thank the chairmen for this gesture. The equipment that they are giving you is for you to start up (your business). It’s a complete set with generator. If there was electricity, there would be no need for generators, but the federal government has failed to give us power.  I want to encourage all the beneficiaries of this laudable gesture to use these items effectively to better your lives and your future.”

    He warned people against selling the empowerment tools, urging them to use them to generate more income.

    In his address at the event, Chairman of the Conference 57 chairmen, Hon. Sulaimon Akeem  noted that poverty seems to have become a natural phenomenon in the country, adding that  it has persisted even though successive governments in Nigeria have made efforts to alleviate it.

    He said the conference embarked on the exercise due to the success of the first exercise which he said was carried out in August, 2014.

    According to him, the empowerment which saw residents of the state carting home items like sewing machines, battery charging machines, vulcanizing machines, generator sets, dryers, refrigerators and food stuffs, among others was the second phase.

    He said, “We followed up the materials given to those that benefited from it (the first phase), they actually used it for the purpose the items were meant for as seen in the development of their business that have brought about economic improvement.”

    Akeem noted that the program was in fulfillment of one of the promises made to alleviate poverty in Lagos and country.

    “You will agree with me, that sourcing for skilled labour from lesser developed countries around the world  shows that given the right support,  our people will help to develop human capital base , skills, resources and materials that can help to kick start small and medium scale business for the overall development of our society”, he said.

  • Fashola to artisans: practise your trades

    Fashola to artisans: practise your trades

    Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola has advised the newly trained artisans and traders in the state to practise their trades.

    Fashola, who spoke last week at the grand finale of the fifth Tradesmen and Artisans’ Week and Graduation for re-trained artisans and traders in Ikeja, said the exercise was meant to enhance workers’ capacity.

    He said the programme, an initiative of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Educational Board (LASTVEB), would spur workers’ growth.  He said through the training, artisans and traders have been given opportunities to access skills similar to those in technical schools.

    Also, the Special Adviser to the governor on Commerce and Industry, Oluseye Oladejo, said many vocational workers have been trained in the state.

    He said: “I am pleased to inform you that a total of 5,780 members of different registered associations, made up of 3,780 artisans and 2000 trades from various vocations and trades have been trained to     date.”

    Also, the General Manager, British American Tobacco Foundation, Abimbola Okoya, said statistics have shown that eight out of 10 new businesses in Nigeria collapse in their first five years. Okoya said the development prompted the foundation to extend a hand of partnership to the state government to build young entrepreneurs.

    She said: “We trained about 700 during the eight week programme. They were taught how to keep track of transactions, and maintain good human relations with their customers.”

    The foundation, she explained, also gave mobile phones and barges to 50 participants for performing well during the training, hoping the devices would help them communicate effectively with their customers.

    She advised participants, to utilise knowledge acquired well and look out for what would make them succeed in business.

    A trainee, Mrs Adelakun Atinuke, thanked the government and the foundation for the exercise, saying but for the opportunity, the knowledge gained would have eluded them.

  • Artisans, Lagos partner on water management

    The Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing, Land, and Urban Development, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, has praised West African Ceramics Limited on its production of high quality ceramic and vitrified tiles to meet the needs of the construction industry.

    He spoke at the Building Construction and Mining Mart expo in Lagos, during a tour of the firm’s stand. He expressed satisfaction with the company’s production of tiles of international standards and quality. West African Ceramics is the manufacturer of Royal Ceramics and VIT Porcelain tiles.

    The firm’s Marketing Representative for Southwest Operations, Tosin Elatoroti,who conducted Ashafa round the stand, said the production of vitrified tiles was a demonstration of the firm’s commitment to serving the building industry, particularly in floor, wall, and roofing tiles.

    He explained the production process to the lawmaker. “Unlike the production process of ceramic tiles, vitrified tile is made by baking fine minerals like various clay at extreme high temperature where the individual grains or particles melt and fuse to make a glass-like surface, thus creating a mass making them extremely hard with low porosity, and resistant to stain,” he said, adding that the firm is preparing towards production of digital tiles which is the next phase in tile production in Nigeria.

    Hinging on the theme of the expo: Construction stand: Knowing the equipment for the job, Elatoroti further said the firm provides advice and assistance to builders and architects at their showrooms in Lagos, Abuja and Suleja.