The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Inception

  • ITF: 20m trained since inception

    ITF: 20m trained since inception

    The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari, has said the agency has trained more than 20 million Nigerians since its establishment in 1971.

    He added that the agency has a functional human resource capacity that can translate the country’s economy to sustainable growth and development.

    Ari said this was why the training agency has been doing providing requisite skills for national transformation that will make the economy one of the largest in the world by 2020.

    He said the fund has launched the National Industrial Skill Development Programme (NISDP) designed to fast-track the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) so that the nation can have a pool of readily available skilled manpower in all areas of the economy.

    Ari said this at an interactive forum with clients of the Lagos Island area office with the theme: Current Trends in Technological Advancement and Indigenous Manpower Development in a Recovering Economy, held in Lagos State.

    He said the theme was chosen to reiterate the importance of human capital to the realisation of business objectives.

    On what the Fund is doing to train and retrain the nation’s workforce, he said the ITF has successfully collaborated with national and international bodies in training and development among which are: The Institute of Technical Education Services, Singapore; The National Service for Industrial Apprenticeship, Brazil; The Crown Agent of London, United Kingdom; Galilee International Management Institute, Israel and a host of others.

    “We have also expanded and re-equipped Industrial Skills Training Centres in Kano and Lagos as well as the Model Skills Training Centre in Abuja. Our collaboration with Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in the training of hundreds of youth in various trade areas using training facilities of employers in the organised private sector and ITF under the Technical Skills Development project is ongoing,” Ari said.

    The DG, who was represented by the Director of ICT in ITF, Dr Dickson Onuorah, said as the foremost human resource agency in the country, ITF owes it a duty to ensure that the nation has the requisite and competent human resource to drive the economy with both technical and vocational skills, which are the platforms  on which the drive for socio-economic development of the country can be achieved.

  • 13 years after inception, Poly holds first convocation

    13 years after inception, Poly holds first convocation

    Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has charged graduates of  tertiary institution to make themselves agents of change, growth and development.

    He spoke at the first convocation of the Delta State Polytechnic, Otefe-Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state.

    Though established in November 2002, it was the first convocation to be organised by the institution.

    The graduates, he said, stand a chance to become instruments of sustainable growth for the nation.

    “You are now fully empowered to become instruments of sustainable development and to impact on a larger canvas. Remember that only those, who dare to dream and care to achieve have seen their destiny fulfilled,” he said.

    Uduaghan said the polytechnics was set up by the state to capture youths early and provide them with quality education.

    He said the targets were being achieved and the polytechnics have become a success story and a model to reckon with nationally.

    “This Polytechnic is a success story among higher education institutions of the country with a social objective to bring home quality engineering and management education for the benefit of our youths, thereby addressing equity and digital divide,” he said.

    Dr Uduaghan urged institutions of higher learning to organise annual convocation for their graduating students because it encourages students to strive towards competitiveness and completing the academic works with their mates.

    “I urge management of higher institutions, especially management of this institution, to make the convocation ceremony an annual event so that graduating students can look forward to it,” he said.

    Similarly, the Commissioner for Higher Education, Mr Charles Emetulu, said by organising the convocation, the institution had restored the ego of its graduates.

    “This development, no doubt, has a telling effect on the moral of our teeming graduates in their educational endeavours, which has been remedied today,” he said.

    The Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr Clara Sogbaike, disclosed that over 10,000 National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) students that graduated between 2002/2003 and 2013/2014 academic sessions were awarded their certificates.

    Awards of special recognition were given to former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Steve Oru, Senator-elect for Delta Central, Chief Ighoyota Amori, Dr (Mrs.) Elizabeth Uvo-Gardner, Prof. Solomon Okobiah, among others.

  • ‘Covenant outperformed from inception’

    ‘Covenant outperformed from inception’

    Prof Peter Okebukola was the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) when Covenant University (CU) got its operating licence in 2002. In this interview with ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, Okebukola recounts what qualified CU then.

    meeting NUC approval for licence

    In 2002 when its operating licence was issued, Covenant University was the most outstanding in terms of meeting the very stringent conditions of government in setting up a private university. It had over 10 times the minimum land area specified by government, it had academic, administrative and hostel facilities as well as staff housing that shamed many public universities. It had a good academic brief and physical master-plan. The draft university law was also in place. On the NUC checklist, the then proposed Covenant University scored positive tick marks on all items. It was eminently qualified for being licensed and a license was issued. More importantly for us at NUC is that since it was okayed to fly, the university has been soaring very high and delivering on its promise of producing a new generation of young leaders for Nigeria, Africa and the rest of the world.

    Rating CU after 10 years?

    CU is one of the most decorated universities in Nigeria today. Decorated means, earning academic laurels and being well ranked among other universities in Nigeria, indeed Africa. I recently had a glimpse of a compilation of its academic laurels and was filled with admiration and awe. One of the indicators of performance of a university is the quality of its graduates. CU graduates are reputed for their professionalism, exemplary work ethics and Christian values. Another indicator is the quality of its academic programmes measured by the number of programmes with full accreditation. All CU pogrammes are accredited by NUC and relevant professional bodies.

    What distinguishes CU from others?

    I am able to quickly identify five attributes. The first is putting God first.

    Second is focused vision. The vision of the university has remained the lodestone guiding every action, big or small, in a consistent, methodical manner.

    Third is strong leadership. The leadership of the university at all levels is very strong.

    Fourth is funding. The funding level at CU is huge and this has helped to significantly address infrastructural and welfare needs. Fifth is staff and student discipline. The CU community presents one of the best-case scenarios of staff and student discipline in the Nigerian university system.

     

     

    Focus in the next 10 years

    In the coming years, CU should consolidate the gains recorded in the first 10 years, continue to emphasise areas where it has comparative advantage, develop new and exciting programmes that are scantily available in the Nigerian university system, focus more intensively on research so that its global ranking is bolstered and equip its graduates with 21st century skills.

     

  • Inception summer beach party gets support

    Inception summer beach party gets support

    THE Inception 2012 beach party is gathering momentum and all is now set for the ultimate summer party in Nigeria as YDx, a youth marketing company and its partners, SoundCity, Beat FM and Naija FM organises this once in a lifetime occasion.

    The summer beach party is billed to attract several people across the country, ranging from university students to young business professionals into the cosmopolitan city of Lagos. It is billed to take place at the popular Elegushi Private Beach in the heart of Lekki next Saturday.

    The summer beach party which is tagged “Inception 2012” is the 2nd edition of an interactive initiative designed with the goal of making Lagos State the preferred summer break destination for African students because of its legendary Nightlife and fantastic beach-line. It will also create opportunities annually, where students from all over the continent can enjoy discounts in luxury hotels, holiday parties and exotic moments with beach excursions in the centre of excellence.