By Seun Adams
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has selected 100 youths around Maiduguri to build their skills in modern methods of vulcanizing as part of the directives given to the agency by President Muhammadu Buhari in the on-going nationwide skill acquisition for youths.
The ongoing capacity upskill, the Presidency avers will not only make them competitive on their jobs but to also create wealth.
In his welcome speech at the event, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, said that the programme was a specialized one in the North-east Zonal intervention by the Presidency through NASENI, focusing on the modern method of vulcanizing and capacity building on the use of modern equipment in the vocation.
According to him, what NASENI introduced to the youths in Maiduguri with this programme was in line with the global trends and appropriate skill setting, adding that the training will expose the beneficiaries to new skill sets that will be required for them to make fortune and maintain a competitive edge in the vulcanizing business.
The trainees will become new set of vulcanizing technicians who can provide modern vehicles with more electronics components and smarter technologies compared to hitherto manual based vehicles.
As the trends in vehicle manufacturing continue to advance, the service providers that will be able to cope with technological advancement in the vehicle maintenance including the vulcanizing technicians must be well trained to cope with the new dynamics.
The Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, while appreciating the Federal Government and NASENI for the exercise said he was indeed very happy to warmly receive all in Borno State and to speak at this opening ceremony of skill development training and youth empowerment on “modern vulcanizing equipment and its applications” in the State.
This programme is the first-phase of the North-east regional skill development of NASENI in the implementation of the series of President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives to the agency, to ensure the development of skills of our teeming youths necessary for job creation and self-employment generation.
Represented by the Acting Borno State Head of Service, Barr. Mallum Fanami, the Governor remarked: “The occupational trade and advanced skills development selected for Borno State could not have come at a better time than now when the reconstruction efforts and rehabilitation of the people are top priorities or agenda of both Borno State government and the Federal Government even as the people have decided to give peace and development a chance.”
He said, economic activities, job creation and employment generation are the bedrocks for keeping and sustaining peace because when the people, especially the youths are fully engaged or when they find fulfilment in their means of livelihood, there is the confidence to turn down overtures to be part of crime or carrying out acts that are inimical to the wellbeing and harmonious living together of the people.
His words: “In a city like Maiduguri where there is high number of vehicles; a person with such vocation that are related to repairs or maintenance of car or services ought to be in business always because car owners always require their services to keep the vehicles on the road. Therefore, vulcanizing which is the focus of this particular training is one of such highly sort after vocation in the car vehicles maintenance services. But the challenge has been the low level of technology adaptation and lack of use of modern equipment in fixing tires either for repairs of punctured tires or outright replacement.
The training will equip participants with advanced trouble shooting tools and complete occupational resources required to repair any tire employing modern equipment, tools and methods. The trainees are carefully selected from those who are earning their living as vulcanizers but requiring such advanced methods to fix tires, enhance efficiency and to make the maintenance of tires or replacement less arduous.
The Governor thanked NASENI and the President Buhari for remembering the young people in Borno State. He admonished the participants to guard jealously and utilize judiciously the expensive tools to be given to them at the end of the training as startups.
Zulum, pledged to continually support the trainees whichever ways to keep them focused so that they could derive maximally the benefits of what the State and Federal Governments were jointly doing for them through the training.
SIGNED: Olusegun Ayeoyenikan.
Deputy Director, Information, NASENI