The Nation Newspaper

Tag: technicians

  • Save us from hoodlums, auto technicians tell govt

    Save us from hoodlums, auto technicians tell govt

    Auto technicians in Lagos have appealed to the state government to save them from the hands of hoodlums.

    They alleged that the hoodlums always entered their premises to harras and extort them.

    The technicians, under the aegis of Motor Mechanics and Technicians Association of Nigerian (MOMTAN), are seeking the intervention of Commissioner for Transport Kayode Opeifa to the incessant attacks.

    At a briefing in their Alausa, Ikeja secretariat, their chairman, Alhaji Morufdeen Arowolo, said the hoodlums always carted away valuables whenever they came.

    He said: “As soon as some of our members close for the day and leave for their homes, hoodlums from God knows where will hijack the premises. Some of our members who were still around were constantly intimidated by these hoodlums. They do all sorts of atrocities. They have made our premises their hideouts scaring our members away.

    “Whenever our members try to challenge them, it resulted in fracas and we know these hoodlums can overpower our men because some of them are armed. We call on government to extend its arm of security to our members. This situation is becoming very embarrassing and we want government to intervene on our behalf.”

    MOMTAN Alausa branch chairman Morufdeen Oyebade called for deployment of security personnel to stop the attacks.

  • Beware the ‘technicians’: Win the battle and lose country?

    Beware the ‘technicians’: Win the battle and lose country?

    President Goodluck Jonathan recently admitted in a Voice of America interview that foreign ‘technicians’ had been brought in for maintenance and instruction in the fight against Boko Haram. This has however been refuted by Nigerian soldiers who say that the technicians are participating in actual combat and are not working with them but rather on their own. All we have heard of these technicians is that they are likely from South Africa, Russia and Ukraine. In the past, these technicians would be referred to as mercenaries but a more modern term would be private armies, security contractors or now technicians as President Jonathan would have us believe.

    The political spin machinery has been working overtime with reports of gains made against Boko Haram. Although some might suggest these are good gains but we need to ask ourselves this question: At what cost have these gains come? By cost, I do not mean the millions of dollars that have likely been paid to these technicians (It is widely speculated that the average cost of hiring a private security contractor ranges from between $10,000 to as high as $40,000 a month), but rather the cost to our national integrity and future stability.

    My concern is that these gains may be short lived and ultimately, the country may live to regret them. We may be setting a dangerous precedent of using non-­ state actors in conflict resolution. If history teaches us anything, it is that we should beware of the ‘technicians’.

    We only have to look to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the use of “private contractors”, as they were popularly known, did not end the wars but rather, escalated them. Closer home on the African continent, we can look at the role private armies played in the Congo, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, and Uganda; and some of these countries have not yet recovered from the after effects.

    Even if the fight against Boko Haram is successful – some serious and burning questions still need to be answered:

    •What does this say about the once formidable Nigeria military?

    •What is in it for our regional friends – Chad, Niger and Cameroon?

    •What dangerdoes it portend for Nigeria? – In terms of prolonged political instability and the possible creation of new threats.

    •What are the implications under International Humanitarian Law? Can human rights abuses arise from the misconduct of these technicians?

    Historically, the Nigerian Army has generally been perceived as one of the better equipped fighting forces on the African continent and has been instrumental in ending regional conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and most recently Mali. However, that reputation has been shaken to its core with its inability to proffer an effective strategy in tackling Boko Haram. Reports of corruption, mutiny, loss of territory, arms deals, increase in unchecked arms importation, low morale of soldiers and even rumours of a possible military coup have further blighted its strength. The question is why spend all these funds on short term gains, when the same amount could have been used to buy equipment, and to recruit, train and empower the military force? Our underbelly has been exposed and the sharks have come out to feed. Whatever bragging rights we once had may not exist anymore unless we have a rethink.

    According to a recent Global Fire Power (GFP) ranking used to determine a nations Power index; of the 30 African countries in their database, Nigeria ranks fourth; first to third being – Egypt, Algeria and South Africa. Others to note are those of our regional joint partners – Niger, Chad and Cameroon. An analysis using a few of the factors that were used to determine some countries rank – total population, land size, active frontline personnel, active reserve personnel, air power, naval power, defense budget is captured in the table above.

    From the data, Nigeria tops all countriesin population size, our land size is roughly about 920,000 sq km, our frontline personnel is at 130,000, reserve personnel at 32,000 and our defense budget at about $2.3 billion. Egypt is about the same land size but with a population of 86million, frontline personnel at 468,500, reserves at 800,000 and a budget of $4.4bn. Algeria has the biggest defense budget with about $10.5bn, a population size of 38 million, frontline personnel of 512,000 and reserves at 400,000. South Africa’s numbers pale in comparison to Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria but what they lack in personnel and reserves, they make up for in the size of land systems, air and naval power. The numbers that stick out are how low are frontline and reserve personnel are – For a country of 177 million people; our cumulative military strength is 162,000. Invariably there is one soldier to about 1000 people.

    This brings me to the role of our friends in Niger, Chad and Cameroon who were ranked according to this index in 10th, 12th and 23rd place respectively. Niger has only 5,300 frontline personnel and 0 reserves, a land size of over 1,200,000 sq km, a population of 17 million and a defense budget of $85 million. Chad has a similar land size to Niger, 30,350 frontline personnel and 0 reserves, a population of about 11 million and a defense budget of $120 million. Finally, Cameroon has a land size of roughly over 475,000 sq km, frontline personnel of 14,000, and reservespersonnel of 10,000 and a defense budget of $370 million.

    Cumulatively, Nigeria tops ALL its partner countries in EVERY index. The big question is, how then, are these 3 able to combat Boko Haram more effectively than Nigeria?  Surely, can it be simply standing in solidarity with its ‘giant’ neighbor? Some suggest the impact of internally displaced Nigerians and the loss of territory spurred these countries to action, perhaps, but have you considered the fact that military operations are expensive. Other theories, many of which suggest that money is the deciding factor also exist. No doubt, money and conflict will always be the visible and invisible face of evil. Throw in oil and any other resource and you have a war on your hands.

    Some popular reports speculate a deliberate sabotage by the Chadians against Nigeria mostly stemmed from the rights to the Lake Chad basin – which some say contains about 2.32 billion barrels of oil and 14.65 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Another theory is the threat of a food crisis in these countries; many of whom depend on food from Northern Nigeria. Supporting Nigeria in tackling Boko Haram will certainly open up access to food markets and distribution chains. Another theory is perhaps the lure of a huge payout from the Nigerian Government to the joint forces; one reported by PUNCH newspaper to total 146.2 million naira a month to troops from neighboring Chad and Niger. These armies reportedly don’t earn as much as they are currently being paid so supporting Nigeria is financially beneficial. All these are speculative theories and we should welcome their support. Perhaps this may give rise to calls for better funding of regional forces.

    When governments choose to use private contractors to solve conflicts, not only does this pose a real and serious threat to stability and conflict resolution, it also erodes the capacity of public institutions to ensure order. How prepared are we to deal with potential human rights abuses? Studies show that if the defense institutes of states fail to establish effective management structures to regulate the activities of these private contractors, there are higher chances of misconduct and committing of atrocities.

    The clamour for power and political positions has blinded many to this clear and present danger. Why win a battle only to lose the country? Is the desire to desperately hang on to power worth trading our future for?

    When all has been said and done, will there even be a country and are we not opening ourselves up to even greater problems after Boko Haram is gone? Boko Haram is a well-oiled machine; the Federal Government may claim to have made gains for now but what happens when it regroups and fights back? Or worse still, what happens when a new set of heavily armed splinter groups emerge? We’ve seen the group’s tactics evolve over 5 years and unless a more strategic solution is sought, they will evolve to a much larger beast.

    Too many interests want to see Nigeria fail and bring our almighty ego to its knees. Why play into their hands?

     

    •Akinmeji is a Public Policy Analyst. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington DC. She writes from Abuja

  • Physically challenged, inspired technicians

    Physically challenged, inspired technicians

    At their workshop where everyone has a physical disability, they fashion out almost anything you can find around the house, from beds to doors and gates to containers. These Kaduna technicians are determined to thrive despite their challenges. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports

    very one of them lives with at least a physical disability. Most cannot stand. A few are deaf. But their minds are razor-sharp and their sight far. They are the super fabricators of Kaduna. Hating the very notion of holding out a begging bowl before passersby, they learned a trade and have not regretted the decision. They have been fending for not just themselves but also their families. They even make things for other people living with disability.

    For 13 years, this group of physically challenged people led by Mustapha Abubakar has distanced themselves from begging, deciding to engage in fabrication of households items.

    Has it paid off? Yes, it has fetched them what they described as “legitimate income”.

    It started with a federal government-sponsored training, after which, they decided to stay together under one firm. Their metal fabrication workshop, Physically Handicapped Welding Multipurpose Cooperative Society, resulted from that team work.

    They are 15 in number. Their workshop is located in Kinkinau, a serene part of the Kaduna metropolis. There, they produce iron doors, windows and stoves, which they neatly display for buyers.

    One interesting thing about this group of welders is that they are all physically challenged. Even their leader Abubakar has a disability.

    Apart from making money and saving themselves the indignity and other horrors of begging, they also produce wheelchairs for other disabled people at a highly subsidised rate. They also fabricate motorcycle parts. ý

    When The Nation visited their workshop, the super technicians did not want to be distracted from their work, but they managed to speak with the reporter while still concentrating on the job.

    They said they took up the business because they wanted to be independent. They expressed the belief that if youths toed the same line, ýby working, the country would have found a way out of its unemployment challenges and also grow the economy.

    The Nation discovered that their products can compete favourably with any made by their able-bodied counterparts anywhere.

    One of the leaders of the group, Mustapha Abubakar,ý said, “We have been working here for the past 13 years. We were trained under the government skill acquisition programme and we expected that the government would cater for us and empower us. But, when we discovered that the support was not forthcoming we were forced to come together to form this cooperative. We formed a cooperative called Physically Handicapped Welding Multipurpose Cooperative Society. We are into welding work. We weld gates, burglary-proof, doors and beds. We construct wheelchairs, customised machines for the disabled; it is God’s gift and talent. We construct them ourselves. We are talented but the only thing we need is assistance from government to make our dreams come true. Individuals patronise us; they give us all sorts of works to try our talents and by the grace of God we don’t fail or disappoint them. In fact, our work is less expensive compared to other places they patronise. Take, for instance, construction of burglary-proof; they make it within the range of N8,000 to N10,000 but we do it for as less as N5,000 or N4,500. If people will patronise our works, street begging will certainly become a thing of the past.”

    When asked how they feed their family with what seems to be meagre income, Abubakar said, “Sometimes, we go home smiling because we record high sales and some days, we go home empty-handed because of lack of sales. But we are thanking God for everything. Abubakar is a proud husband and father and is not ashamed to display his family.

    He said, “I have a wife and four children. They attend both Western education and Islamic school. My first-born is nine years, while the second is 6 years old.ý”

    Animage_5other fabricator, Suleiman Sani, popularly known as Container among his colleague, said, “We are working here and trying to make ends meet.

    He told The Nation: “All the works displayed here are our handwork. If you were not here while I’m doing this work, you might doubt if I actually did the construction. There is no work you bring here that we cannot do.ý”

    Sani who claimed to have been in the business for six years, said he attended a welding school located in the Kakuri area of Kaduna metropolis for three years and since graduating, has been in the business.

    “Having worked here for six years, I can say I have become an expert and anytime soon, I will go and open my own shop.”

    The 26-year-old cripple said, “It takes me four days to construct a container,” adding, “This is simply because we encounter the problem of power outage. If not I can complete the work in less than three days. And it costs between N90,000 to N100,000.”

    Like others in the business, these physically challenged persons face several challenges. According to Sani, one of these challenges is the lack of capital which has often left them at the mercy of their customers.

    He explained that since they lack adequate capital, they simply work with their customers’ demand.

    “When they come with their demands we go ahead and do the work for them,” he said. “But if we have capital we can go ahead to construct the products and showcase them. Whoever wants to buy will pay and we will give it to them. You know, there is no work without its own challenges. We face the challenge of power outage. Again, people feel if they give us job we will disappoint them. The wealthy men feel we can’t do the job. They prefer to go abroad to buy the things they use. Some of them feel if they give us the job we will not do it effectively. They go to the extent of testing us. Some of them stigmatise us; once they see us they give us alms. We are disabled but not beggars. We want people who will assist us with capital to set up business not one who will give us alms. We want something to keep us going, to sustain us and we depend on solely as source of income.ý”

    The 26 years old Sani is ýhoping to get married soon but wants to establish his own business before setting up a family. His pride however is his state of independence. According to him, “I’m fulfilled with the work I am doing at the moment. I don’t depend on anybody and I also don’t wait for anybody to do anything for me before I do my things.”

    They need working aids and patronage from government. This will go a long way in attracting others like them into such trades and discourage street begging. ýGovernment programmes such as SURE-P should cater for and focus more on persons with disabilities who have their own trade.

     

  • Chase skills now, degrees later, technicians told

    Chase skills now, degrees later, technicians told

    Many young people would love to be in the shoes of the 37 technicians who graduated from the Technical Training Centre (TTC) of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) last Thursday.

    They were selected among thousands to undergo a two-year training in bottle equipment operations and maintenance that also involves theoretical and practical knowledge of automation and mechanical engineering, which prepares them for the City and Guilds of London examination.

    Now that they have completed the training, which Pastor Tope Dada, Head of the centre, said cost the NBC N4.8 million per student (covering feeding, accommodation, allowances, and training materials), they have all been employed by the company.

    In light of the high rate of graduate unemployment, Mr Olawumi Gasper, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), counselled the graduands not to jettison the great opportunity they have to start a lucrative career at NBC in search of university degrees.

    “You are on the route to a very sound career.  Most of you have National Diplomas (ND) or more.  But from here you have gained sound training that would make you to be sought after.  Most of you after this will still want to get university education.  I don’t begrudge you for that.  But never leave a sound career for a certificate.  You can get a degree along the way,” he said.

    With the training they have received, Gasper, an engineer and former Rector, Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) said the graduates have been exposed to the secret of technology and should build on it to improve the manufacturing industry in Nigeria.

    “You are so lucky to be exposed to the secret of technology.  There is nothing regarding machine and instrumentation that you do not know.  We expect you to assist us in improving the manufacturing industry,” he said.

    In his charge to the new technicians, the Managing Director of NBC, Mr Ben Langat, said despite having received world class training, they would only be successful if they have the relevant soft skills.

    “This centre has equipped you with all the technical skills that you need to succeed in your career.  But that is not everything.  The different between those who succeed or not will be defined by you attitudes, worth ethics, and discipline in completing tasks before you,” he said.

    He warned them to flee from alcoholism and laziness, which he described as the biggest career killers.

    Through the TTC, Langat said the NBC has contributed to expanding the number of youths with technical skills sought after by industry.

    Counting the centre’s success, Langat said that over 560 students have graduated from the centre flagship programme with over 90 percent gainfully employed by the company.

    “We have recorded scores of success stories of our graduates who have excelled and risen to key management positions within and outside the NBC system through sheer brilliance and hard work,” he said.

    Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, praised NBC for investing in the lives of the young ones and called for more collaboration between the government and NBC and other companies, saying that it would help curb unemployment.

    He urged the grandaunds not to see challenges in life anymore but opportunities to challenge the status quo.

    As is the centre’s culture, Mr Tope Dada said the new technicians, who are the Set 25 and Set 26, developed a new pallet testing machine (used to measure the strength of pallets on which bottles are loaded) as their project for the company.  He said this would save NBC about N25 million monthly.

    One of the new line technicians, Amaka Adigbonu, who has been posted to NBC’s Port Harcourt plant, told The Nation that she learnt a lot during the programme.

     

     

    “We were opportune to go to other parts of the country – Abuja, Jos, and Port Harcourt; and we were able to balance what we learnt in school with what we learnt at the centre. It was wonderful.  They would not train you on your field alone, they would train you in other things as well, they train you on machine, how you operate them, how you maintain them so you know how to deliver,” she said.

    Students who distinguished themselves during the training were rewarded with gifts.

     

  • Fed Govt trains Abia technicians

    Fed Govt trains Abia technicians

    It was a three-week intensive practical and theoretical training for selected members of the Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association (NATA) in Abia State. Our Aba correspondent, SUNNY NWANKWO who was part of the training reports

    They may not have the academic qualifications that certify them as professionals, and you don’t expect them to start writing examinations for admission into universities to pursue a four or five years’ rigorous academic process and training.

    Also, they may not have hand outs or textbooks in engineering courses to catch the eyes of the global village, yet their natural skills and abilities to fix and keep industrial machines and automobiles working have saved most companies from being comatose.

    Companies within the Southeast and Southsouth are running their services, not because of cheap labour, but because they have much confidence in the services rendered by the unskilled auto-mechanics and electricians, who have displayed great skills in fixing various mechanical and electrical faults.

    Just like their counterparts in the business sector, automobile electrical and mechanical engineers help to keep companies in oil and gas, agricultural and industrial sectors functioning.

    Most companies that do not have the financial capacity to hire the services of expatriates or whose machines may have been caught up with technological innovation rely on their services to still be in production.

    To improve their skills in auto repairs, management of finances and customer services, the Federal Government, through the National Automotive Council (NAC), SURE-P and SMEDAN organised a three-week intensive training workshop for them.

    The exercise, which was well attended by members of the association in Abia State, featured lectured tutorials on the use of modern electronic device for easy test and identification of faults in cars.

    The participants were equally trained on the management of their resources and how and where they can go as small and medium-scale entrepreneurs to access funds.

    In a chat with reporters, Abel Onuma, the supervisor of the training from Bascom Motor Skills Agency Nigeria, said: “The training is being organised by the National Automotive Council (NAC), Sure-P and SMEDAN and it is aimed at upgrading the skill and competency of Nigerian auto-technicians on how to fix challenges associated with modern vehicles, especially the new generation cars. “We consult with the Federal Government, especially NAC as a government body to train and re-train automobile mechanics and electricians. Our mandate is to train trainees in automotive sector as regards technological advancement in new modern vehicles.

    ”We have 27 participants who were being trained by the Federal Government to expose them to the modern method of fixing modern vehicles. The three weeks training has enhanced their skills on how to fix modern vehicles. In these 15 days training, we can attest that they are professionals in the areas they have been tutored.

    “We have very few universities that offer courses on automotive-mechatronics. They have been the people who have learned this skill over the years. Even though prior to this time there has never been curriculum on how they should follow as it should be done in school, they are the one fixing the issue now.

    “Our university to a large extent has not been able to produce competent and skillful engineers after graduation. We have seen a number of graduates who are just engineers on paper and cannot do what these set of people are doing even without being to formal school.

    “We have taught them the theoretical and practical aspect of automotive-mechatronics and that makes them to be very competent. The common people you see when fixing vehicles on the streets are these technicians.

    “They are the best people for us at the moment to approach to begin to solve the problem associated with repairing of new model vehicles in our society and that is why Federal Government is much more interested in them. The Federal Government has also empowered them. The OBD2 scanning machine which has market value of over N100, 000 has been offered free of charge.

    “We went ahead to offer them 12 volt battery tester, multi-meter free of charge as well to empower them to fit in and be able to not only diagnose a vehicle, but to fix the challenges that is related to these vehicle.

    “The training has been certificated by the Federal Government. Their participation has been very impressive and don’t forget that It is a pan-Nigerian programme.

    In a chat with another resource person from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Onyezonwu Allwell added “We are here to train the NATA people on entrepreneurship. Actually, we came from small and medium enterprises development agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). You actually know that as the name implies, it’s just an association but these are entrepreneurs who are doing various businesses in the automobile industry. They are rendering services and may be they have been doing it in an informal or crude way and you see that in the automobile industry these days you have a lot of challenges. The industry is growing. There are a lot of new automobiles in sophisticated gadgets that are coming up every now and then. And they need to know what and what they should do to actually remain in business.

    “If you see in Nigeria, in terms of industrialisation, we are backward because in the past this opportunity of training entrepreneurs was not there or was  not properly done. People did business haphazardly; they did it the way they choose and not the way the customers wanted.

    “This time we are trying to let them know that the customer is the key. You don’t do things the way you like. You do what the customers want. If  you want to produce  goods or render services, you find out what will meet  the need of the customer so that, you don’t come out to say you are doing business and nobody patronises  you. Of course with the seriousness and time they have put into this programme, you don’t expect them to go and start looking for work in companies or elsewhere and which is not even the best. So, we want to empower them to enhance their entrepreneurial skills; let them know what they are supposed to do to make sure that they can compete with others/counterparts in the same field.

    ”SMEDAN is exposing them on customer relationship, how to manage their resources, study their target market and also to build the confidence that they can compete favourably with their counterparts.

    “Actually, by the law or edict establishing SMEDAM, MEDAN doesn’t have the powers to give out loans. We are just facilitators. We facilitate the access to finances for these entrepreneurs. If at the end of this training, finance becomes their problem, they can approach the agency.

    “We have what we call business clinic. First of all, we will put the business in the clinic, test run it, find out actually if finance is what they need for the business to grow. The agency is patterning with Bank of Industry (BOI) and some other lending institutions. We can mediate between them just like we have been doing in the time past. So, it all depends on what they want.”

    On ways to monitor loans borrowed to ensure that they were used for the purpose it was meant for, Allwell added “Currently, there is this programme, we call it NEDEP  programme. There is a particular amount of money the Federal Government has voted  for Small scale businesses , the money is being channeled through the Bank of Industry and  this has been like that  over the years. Some entrepreneurs as I speak with you are at the verge of getting theirs.

    “So, we want to encourage them to form themselves into cooperatives. Forms are already available and once they meet the criteria that are required, the funds will be made available to them. The Bank of Industry has what it takes to checkmate that,” he assured

    Elder Reginald Umeike, Abia State Chairman NATA, Okechukwu Ike and Engineer Eusebius Obimkpu in separate interviews at the end of the training/workshop thanked the Federal Government for such gestures and stated that the training have opened their eyes and widened their knowledge, adding that the training was going to make them function well and better in their job as technicians and mechanics.

    According to NATA state chairman, the exercise should be made yearly and extended to their members who were not accommodated in the exercise.

    He said that they are going to take what they were taught into practice and called for more or a related exercise to be extended to them anytime the need be.

    Highlight of the event was the presentation of electronic devices purchased for members of the group by the federal government through the SURE-P project.

  • Lab technicians hail Ahmed’s health plan

    Lab technicians hail Ahmed’s health plan

    The Kwara State branch of the Association of Laboratory Technicians and Assistants of Nigeria (AMELTAN) have praised Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed’s administration for the renovating and remodelling five General Hospitals in Ilorin, Omu-Aran, Offa, Share and Kaiama.

    The general hospitals cover the three senatorial districts of the state.

    AMELTAN appealed to the state government to start paying call-duty allowance for their member’s working day and night in the state.

    AMELTAN also wants its members especially those working with the Community Health Insurance Scheme placed on permanent appointment.

    The state chair of AMELTAN, Elder Bandipo Olusanyan made the demand in Ilorin, the state capital at the association’s 3-days conference

    He equally sought for the recruitment and posting of “our members to local government health facilities in the state.

    Said he: “Apart from this, the state of art medical equipment purchase, improved staff welfare including prompt payment of salaries, payment of consolidated health salary structure, release of promotion and extension of community health insurance have endeared the governor to our heart.

    “The same gesture also extended to smaller health centres, Iwo Cottage Hospital, Omupo Cottage Hospital and Edidi Health Centre are part of good work executed to serve our people.

    “We also appreciate the state governor for the sustainable peace and harmony that provides the platform for us all to operate in Kwara state. The massive infrastructural provision and pace of development has helped our association to live up to expectation.”