Business
ITF Trains 10m Nigerians In 40 yrs
The Director General of
the Industrial Development Fund (ITF) Prof. Longmas Wapmuk, has said that the body has trained 10 million Nigerians in technical and vocational skills since its establishment 40 years ago.
Wapmuk made the disclosure while receiving Chief Samuel Ortom, the Minister of State, Trade and Investment, on Monday in Jos, saying that technical and vocational skills were necessary for the transformational agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“For the transformational efforts and indeed, Vision 20-2020 to become a reality, greater emphasis has to be paid to technical vocational skills acquisition.
“Countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Brazil have taken this route to great results, and the ITF is desirous of herding Nigeria the way of these countries,” he said. To achieve this, Wapmuk said the ITF was establishing 36 new skills training centres, 11 additional area offices, 11 mobile training units and a model ICT Centre.
The D-G said that the organisation had re-tooled and re-equipped its existing Skills Centres in Ikeja, Kano and Jos while the Lokoja Centre would be completed soon. According to him, the ITF is collaborating with overseas institutions in Israel, Brazil and the U.K., adding that collaborations with Singapore led to the establishment of the Model Skills Training Centre in Abuja.
He commended President Jonathan for assenting to the amended ITF Act, saying that it would spur the Fund to embark on fresh initiatives that would generate employment, create wealth, reduce poverty and minimise youth restiveness. Wapmuk, however, regretted that the Fund’s quest to execute its laudable programmes was being hampered by dwindling resources arising from the lull in industrial activities.
He said that the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) was draining ITF’s resources, appealing to the Federal Government to create a separate portfolio to administer the scheme like the NYSC.
The Minister said that the President was in a hurry to achieve maximum results within the shortest possible time and tasked the Fund to rise up to its responsibilities.
“There is no more time for excuses, experiments, paper work; but it’s time for action, translating all that we’ve been planning for the past 50 years to reality so that Nigerians can feel the impact.” Ortom appealed to State Governments and graduates to avail themselves of the opportunities in the ITF to empower themselves with relevant skills that would make them self-reliant and employers of labour. “Time has come that it is impossible for government to give employment to all our teeming youths who are graduates and roaming the streets.
“But if skills are acquired, somehow, they will be put into use; I want to also use this forum to encourage Nigerians, who are out there in the streets, especially graduates, to make available themselves to the opportunities that we have in ITF,” he said.
The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), the country’s satellite operator, has called for immediate promolgation of policy action that will enable the country to harness the potentials of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
NIGCOMSAT, also warned that Nigeria risks missing out on Africa’s projected $1.2trillion share of the global AI economy by 2030.
Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, Nkechi Egerton-Idehen, disclosed this in a statement issued at the weekend following her participation in the Meeting of the National Council for Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.
“Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, economies, and societies worldwide, with projections that it will contribute up to $15.7trillion to the global economy by 2030. Africa stands to gain $1.2trillion of this if the right policies and innovations are in place”, Idehen said, citing a PricewaterhouseCoopers report.
The NIGCOMSAT MD underscored the transformative potential of AI in agriculture, highlighting its applicability in Benue State, widely regarded as Nigeria’s “food basket.”
According to her, machine learning tools could revolutionize agricultural practices by improving pest detection and optimizing planting schedules using satellite imagery.
“AI offers us the chance to not only flourish economically but also to achieve food security. However, we must ask ourselves if we are prepared to manage this technology responsibly”, she added.
Idehen also noted that internet access remains a significant barrier to AI adoption in Nigeria.
“For AI tools to be effective, basic digital infrastructure is essential. Addressing this gap must be a priority.
“AI is happening. We have the opportunity to manage this technology revolution responsibly, both in Africa and globally, through innovation and governance”, she said.
In August 2024, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy released a draft National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, aiming to position Nigeria as a global leader in AI.
Corlins Walter
The Chairman of Emohua Local Government Council, Chief David Omereji, has said the council has so far spent over N1 billion for the electrification of communities in the area.
Omereji said this while addressing staff of the council at the council headquarters recently.
He said the move was part of his administration’s resolve to ensure peace and development of the LGA.
According to him, the Council spent about N29 million on monthly basis for the maintenance of the Emohua Local Vigilante group known as OSPAC, with each member being paid a stipend of N100, 000 monthly.
He diaclosed that 11 out of the 14 wards are currently enjoying electricity, while efforts are on to light-up the remaining ones.
“I also want to use this opportunity to inform the political class for purposes of records and for the understanding of the people that the Council under my watch have done more than enough”, he said .
The Emolga boss explained that all that have been achieved were through the personal effort of the Council, without support from anybody as rumoured in some quarters.
Omereji further reaveled that a number of other projects, including roads, fencing of schools, hospitals, courts premises, and reconstruction of some abandoned buildings at the Council Headquarters are being undertaken by his administration.
He enjoined the people of the area to support his administration’s drive to bring purposeful development to the LGA.
The Emohua Council boss, who reiterated his hatred for noise making, stated that his works would speak for him, and solicited the support of staff of the council and the entire people of the area.
He noted the fact that some people may not be happy with his achievements, saying that he would remain focused, while advising critics of his government to do so constructively with facts and figures.
King Onunwor
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has raised some ethical questions over a Financial and Technical Services Agreement (FTSA) between Sahara Energy and West African Gas Limited (WAGL), an affiliate of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
MOSOP said the agreement was not done in good faith, not in the interest of the Nigerian people, and did not follow due process.
Foremost Ogoni born activist and MOSOP leader, Fegalo Nsuke, who made this known in Abuja, weekend, described the Sahara-WAGL deal as fraudulent, deceptive and an insult on the intelligence and integrity of the Nigerian nation.
Nsuke called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to cancel that FTSA between Sahara Energy and WAGL, noting that the agreement is fraught with irregularities and deceptive.
“What Sahara and the NNPC did in the FTSA between Sahara and WAGL is shameful and depicts high level corruption in public service of our country.
“WAGL is an affiliate of Sahara and the NNPC. How then can Sahara go into an agreement with its own affiliate? It’s as good as going into an agreement with itself. This is deceptive and fraudulent”, Nsuke said.
He continued that “Sahara Energy is certainly not a company the Ogoni people want on their soil and we are calling on Mr. President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to terminate any deal between the NNPC and Sahara Energy over OML 11, and to allow for an inclusive arrangement that considers a fair treatment of the Ogoni people in the distribution of revenues from natural resource extraction on Ogoni soil.
“The last Ogoni Congress has been unequivocal on the Ogoni demand for justice and has given a clear path to resolve the three decade old conflict between all critical parties.
“It will be good to explore this path to peace and development for Ogoni and for our country”.
Nsuke accused Sahara Energy and the NNPC of frustrating the progress made by MOSOP to achieve a permanent solution to the Ogoni problem.
He urged a presidential intervention with deep consideration for a fair treatment of the Ogoni people in order to permanently address the problem.
He noted that Sahara Energy should give up on the Ogoni area to allow for an engagement in the interest of the country and the people.
Recall that MOSOP and Sagara Energy have recently been engaged in a row in what MOSOP describes as an unholy relationship between Sahara Energy and the NNPC over OML 11.
MOSOP expressly rejected Sahara Energy and called for a fair treatment of the Ogoni people in natural resource extraction in Ogoni.
It noted that Ogoni people, led by MOSOP, paid the sacrifice to take the oil from Shell, hence “the position of MOSOP must be taken into consideration in decisions relating to resumption of oil production in Ogoni”.