By Nana Musa
The Federal Government has expressed it commitment to upscale and up-skill artisans in the country to operate at international standard.
The Chief Executive of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr Afiz Ogun, said this at the Skill Up Artisan programme (SUPA) stakeholder meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that the programme was aimed at enlightening the trade associations and their members on the plan to unveil SUPA as part of the renewed hope agenda of the Federal Government, aimed at upskilling artisans in the country.
“We don’t want quackery in Nigeria again. We want standard artisans that can stand up anywhere in the world and measure. We want to upgrade Nigerian artisans to international standard.
“Nigerians all over the world, we all know are best at what they do. But without enough knowledge, the disgrace will be coming back home to us, which we already seen little by little from some countries.
“But we cannot scale up artisans without carrying along the artisan association.
“That’s why today we have decided to bring you in to introduce you to this program to tell you what we have for you. Because without you, the programme may not succeed because you are the landlords,” Ogun said.
He said part of President Bola Tinubu renewed Hope agenda was for the agency to organise and upscale the unique sector.
“ You see our artisans, when somebody say I’m a welder, I’m a mechanic Nigerians, we don’t respect them. Outside there, they are well respected.
“If you go to Japan, a plumber receives more money than a professor of university. That is a big dignity, a lot of dignity in that area. We need that dignity in that area of our economy. We must bring it into Nigeria.
“How do we do this? We all remember during the last UN assembly meeting, our president and the Minister of Industry trade and investment with the Minister of Finance launched a particular programme and I will come back to that programme later,” Ogun said.
