ITF trains, empowers 450,000

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adebiyi Adebayo, says over 450,000 Nigerians had been trained and empowered with start-up packs through the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) skill intervention programmes in the last three and half years.

Adebayo spoke on Thursday at the commissioning of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Lagos Island office complex at Funsho Williams Avenue, Costain, Lagos.

He commended the ITF leadership for achieving the feat and contributing to the federal government’s fight against poverty.

The minister said that the management of the fund, however, realised that more would have been recorded with increased infrastructure that would enable easier access to its programme by Nigerians.

“It is against this background that the fund commissioned a Mechatronics workshop in Kano and the Kastina Area office complex,” the minister said.

Adebayo said that the ITF was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that it played a vital role in the fight against poverty and unemployment.

“I am pleased by what the ITF is doing, as the Federal Government efforts to tackle poverty and unemployment cannot be acheived without skills acquisition for entrepreneurship and employability, just as skills cannot be imparted without the necessary facilities,” he said.

According to him, this justifies the new office that was being inaugurated and others done earlier in the week.

He commended the present leadership of ITF for what it had been able to achieve.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, also congratulated the board and management of the ITF for the successful completion and commissioning of the Lagos Island Area Office complex.

He was represented by Mrs Ajibola Ponle, Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension.

“The strength and viability of any society depends on the capability of the human capital to harness available resources potential and opportunity for the development and growth of the economy.

“It is therefore expedient that training must be provided for the work force to achieve the goals or objective that makes life meaningful to the people,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the new complex would complement the effort of other ITF area command offices in Lagos in achieving their mandate, which is to provide, promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in both private and public sectors.

He said it was also to provide skills empowerment for employability and entrepreneurship.

The governor said that with the rate at which technology was redefining the nature of jobs, now and in the future youths must be empowered with new skills that will enable them to become wealth and job creators.

Mr Joseph Ari, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of ITF, said that the population of Nigeria that ordinarily should be a resource may become an albatross if a greater proportion of the population cannot be provided with a source of livelihood through the acquisition of requisite skills.

Ari said that in 2016, the present management on assumption of office realised that one of the challenges facing the acquisition of skills by Nigerians was infrastructural deficit.

He said that in the tackling the deficit, the ITF unveiled an ambitious plan named ‘the ITF Rebuild Vision’ with strategies for the actualization of mandate.

“The key objectives of the plan were to accelerate impartation of technical skills to Nigeria for job creation and poverty reduction and the expansion/modernization of our infrastructure for more Nigerians to access our services and enhance our capacity to train Nigerians in relevant contemporary skills,” he said.

According to him, the commissioning is in line with implementation of the plan which will also enhance job creation in the country.

He said that the project was funded by internally generated revenue which was applauded by the national assembly when members of the committee on industry visited regarding the proper utilization and accountable use of resources.