By Onwe Wisdom
The Director General of Industrial Trust Fund, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin has Emphasized the agency’s commitment to pursuing and bringing to fruition the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ renewed hope agenda initiative to up-skill Nigeria artisans in line with the Industrial Training Fund mandate enshrined in the Act.
Dr Afiz make the statement while addressing journalists shortly after a day public hearing on a bill for an Act to amend the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Act 2011 to clarify ambiguities in the interpretation of key words in the principal Act and define important terms, provide clarity and precision and enhance the fund sources of revenue and for related matter(HP 1519). hosted by the Chairman, House Committee on Industry, Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Enitan Dolapo Badru held at national assembly today Wednesday.
Clarifying concern on the proposed amendment to the ITF law especially those who feel ITF has her functions and should stick to the functions.
Dr. Afiz said, “we are not making new laws. We are enriching our mandate in ITF. The mandate are there, go to the mandate and read the mandate. Most people that talked here today have not read the mandate. Please go back as pressmen and read the mandate. I have read their mandate but I want them to read our mandate. You the media, go and read my mandate”.
ITF goal set out in our mandate as contains in the law gives ITF responsibility to develop Nigeria industrial work force (skill)
“Our goal is to pursue the renewed hope agenda in line with our mandate and we are doing that. And the president has told us, go out, up skill this artisan.
It is getting embarrassing to say there is no job in Nigeria. For the avoidance of doubt, there is job in Nigeria. If there is no work in Nigeria, Ghanaian, Lebanese, Togolese will come here, they take up jobs and become millionaire and go back to their country to enjoy there millions, yet we say there is no job. It is time for us to take up the jobs.
“The problem we have, we have substandard, sub-quality workforce and we are scaling that up, come what may”.
He stated that thousands of Nigerian artisans were registered on their training platform and training ongoing for the registered artisans while looking forward getting more Nigerians registered for training that will up-skill them and bring them to international standard.Says the artisans are happy with us because we are carrying them along.
He noted, “when we started, they told me at the beginning, people will fight you. There will be stumbling block on the way, I told them, I am ready to be bake and when I come out of the baking fire, I will be done and I will be ready for the agenda of Mr. President. I am ready to push it to success not minding the distractions.
No cabal, we do not recognize any cabal, we don’t want to think of any cabal. Those things are distractions. We want to pursue the agenda of Mr. President the renewed hope agenda to up-skill Nigerian artisans and develop our country’s workforce to international standard
