By Victoria Onyisi
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Geoffery Nnaji, on Wednesday said Nigeria loses $10 billions in the welding profession annually due mainly to lack of certification by its welders and artisans.
Nnaji, made the disclosure when he hosted Prince Tony Nwakeze, who led members of the Computer based Traders Association from its Ikeja, Lagos Headquarters in his office, Abuja.
The Minister however explained that it is regrettable that Nigerian youths who are talented cannot get jobs in the sector because of lack of certification.
He said: “During our retreat at the Ministry, I told them that we are loosing over $10 billion yearly because some of youths do not have certification.
“Take welding for instance, we have been discussing with the Nigerian Institute of Welders (NIWs) on how to certify our welders.
“Here, we are talkimg about welders alone because if you look at Dangote refinery, the company imported over 11,000 artisans and welders from outside Nigeria, but we have welders that are even more qualified but lack certification. Each of these foreign welders are paid $150 daily.
“And remember that the work went on for over 3 years and daily, these welders earn $150 which amounted to a good amount of money.”
However, he said the good news is that the Ministry has stepped the momentum through collaborating with the Ministry of Labour and Employment to set up hubs in all the 6 geopolitical zones where welders and other artisans will be trained and get certified.
This according to the Minister, will address the importation of welders from outside of Nigeria.
“The same way the AKK5 that is ongoing on and because we don’t have certified welders they imported welders from Pakistan, China and India. Not that we don’t have welders but they are not certified and so as a matter of urgency we are addressing the issue.” He said.
He acknowledged that with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda coupled with the synergy from the Presidential Executive Order 5 (EO5), which the ministry is vigorously driving the Association should be rest assured that the landscape will change for the better especially through collaboration.
He said: “I’m particularly happy when you mentioned that you are training thousands of our youths in the computer sector for them to engaged and earn their living.
Fielding questions from journalists at the sideline of the meeting, Nwakeze, while expressing appreciation on the Minister’s commitment to signing an MoU with the association said: “Our meeting with the Minister is highly encouraging because this is the first time that the Ministry will be dealing with the traders and we are hopeful that issues are being addressed for the benefits of Nigerians and our country.
“By the grace of God if what we submitted is implemented we are going to turnaround the country because a lot of people will benefit especially the youths.”
On averting the current migration syndrome by Nigerian youths, he added that once the MoU is signed and the content of the MoU is implemented nobody wil leave Nigeria again because the hope has been activate and reignited here.
On the association’s objective, he said: “Yes, we are traders who by the grace of God are into the computer business and technology.
“We came together to form a cluster called Computer Village in Ikeja where nothing has happened in the last 25 years and we have been able to build that industry operating across the 36 states and FCT. Our members are in all the nooks and crannies of the country doing IT businesses with almost N2 billion turnover.”
On replication of Silicon Valley in Nigeria, he said: “What we are looking at in the MoU is partnership because Silicon Valley in U.S and other IT hubs in the world started just like what we have in Ikeja but they heavily supported by with government policies.
“We cannot do much without government policies because even in Silicon Valley there is a synergy between the guys in SV and all the schools and the industries in US, that is the partnership that we are talking about because it is going to a talent hub.
“If you look at China, many of the things that use here are being produced by their students yet they are not as talented as our Nigerian youths.
“So, the opportunities are here and that is what we are asking the government to do to partner with us so that we can identify these talents and working with government.
“We can promote them so that they can export these things to other African countries most importantly the African Free Trade Agreement which the federal government has signed.
“We want to make Nigeria ICT hub, like Dubai and Hong Kong that is the opportunity that we are looking at and we believe that the government can do it for us.”
