NASENI trains over 100 youths on vacational skills

By Ogaga Ariemu

National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure(NASENI) has commenced vacational skills training for over 100 youths selected from Ibadan, Oyo state.

This was contained in a statement disclosed to Nigerian NewsDirect by the Deputy Director, Information, NASENI, Mr Olusegun Ayeoyenikan in Abuja.

According to him, the State-of-the-art plumbing equipment, tools and diagnostic kits worth several millions of naira were handed over to 100 youths around Ibadan in continuation of President Buhari’s directive to NASENI to give Nigerian youths new skills, carry out retraining exercises in line with modern techniques in their different vocations.

He added that a similar exercise kicked off in Kebbi State recently (in August) where youths from the area were giving training, modern equipment and tools in modern farming.

The Executive Vice Chairman/CE NASENI, Engr. Mohammed Haruna while flagging off the training in Ibadan recently said that NASENI was carrying out President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive saying, “the time had come to put an end to the habit of giving out technical jobs meant for Nigerians to foreigners or migrants from neighbouring countries.”

With the training as a hands-on empowerment programme, Professor Haruna explained, “President Buhari’s intention is the prosperity of the youths and job satisfaction so they could take their plumbing work seriously and move to the highest level of efficiency and professionalism in plumbing.”

The training programme targets inputting in the trainees Modern Skills, Acquisition and training on modern methods of Plumbing and its applications. The youths selected from Oyo State are benefiting from the first phase of the programme targeted at those who are already in the profession of plumbing. The capacity building focuses on reskilling the plumbers to handle installations and maintenance of plumbing works with modern techniques, tools, diagnostics and equipment.

According to the study carried out which led to the presidential directive; it was observed in Ibadan metropolis that delivery of plumbing works had become problematic because residents and house owners are experiencing poor jobs and finishing of plumbing works. The training programme is therefore targeted at addressing such challenges for professionals and also to make plumbing work become knowledge-based for youths and in tune with modern methods in plumbing and further upgrade of their skills.

Speaking also at the event, the Chairman of the Occasion and Honourable member representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency who doubles as Chairman House of Representatives’ Committee on Science Research Institutes, Honourable Musiliudeen Olaide Akinremi (Jagaban) said the Ibadan citizens were grateful to President Buhari and NASENI for the intervention to upgrade the skills of plumbers in Ibadan and also giving new tools and technology for them to work with.

He said the youths and their empowerment had become the most critical socio-economic programme for sustenance of any modern economy and also a glimpse at “the idea of what the future of the country will looks like.”

Therefore empowering the youths, he said and especially a critical subsector like plumbing is critical to housing and general construction, he said. He also disclosed that youths empowerment programme was central to his legislative agenda, adding, that the Ibadan North Federal constituency zone was lucky for being the first beneficiary of the programme by the Federal Government in South west.

He charged the trainees to use the equipment and tools to help themselves to increase their efficiency in the course of carrying out their tasks on site.

The presidential mandate to NASENI in the on-going exercise is to move round the 36 States of the country to empower 100 youths in each location on such areas and skills where it is observed that critical vocational skill lacks efficiency and therefore needing upgrades, new skills acquisition, tools and equipment to advance such identified vocation.

The list of new tools and equipment handed over to the plumbers include: PPR machine, Drilling Machine, Pressure Testing Machine, Plum, Plunger, Mechanical tools box, Sets of spanners, Pipe Wrench, Punch, Set of Chisels, Ratchet Socket Spanner Box and Gas Piler. Other safety kits given to the trainees include Safety shoes, Eye goggles, mechanical hand gloves amongst others.