About 100 youths selected from Ibadan, Oyo state in south-west Nigeria are currently benefiting from the Federal Government’s Youths empowerment programme aimed at giving new skills and modernizing activities of artisans in the plumbing vocation.
State-of-the-art equipment, tools and diagnostic kits worth several millions of naira were handed over to one hundred youths around Ibadan by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure(NASENI) as a Furtherance of the nationwide empowerment and job creation for youths in Nigeria.
A similar exercise kicked off in Kebbi State recently where youths from the area were given training, modern equipment and tools in modern farming.
The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Engr. Mohammed Sani Haruna while flagging off the training in Ibadan said that NASENI was carrying out President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives.
“The time has come to put an end to the habit of giving out technical jobs meant for Nigerians to foreigners or migrants from neighbouring countries. 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,” he said.
In a statement signed by the Deputy Director Information NASENI, Mr. Olusegun Ayeoyenikan said 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 and the capacity building focuses on reskilling the plumbers to handle installations and maintenance of plumbing works with modern techniques, tools, diagnostics and equipment.
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.
The training programme is targeted at addressing challenges for professionals and also to further upgrade of their skills.
Speaking also at the event, Member representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency and also Chairman House of Representatives’ Committee on Science Research Institutes, Honourable Musiliudeen Olaide Akinremi said the Ibadan citizens were grateful for the intervention by the Federal government.
“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 look like. Empowering the youths and especially a critical subsector like plumbing is critical to housing and general construction,” he noted.
He also disclosed that youths empowerment programme was central to his legislative agenda and charged the trainees to use the equipment and tools 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.
