Lack of skills policy responsible for Nigeria’s dwindling fortunes – ITF

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) director-general, Juliet Onaeko, has expressed regrets that a lack of national skills policy was contributing to Nigeria’s dwindling fortunes.

Onaeko, who spoke at a forum on skill acquisition for newsmen in Lagos, said millions of Nigerians had lost their jobs to expatriates because of Nigeria’s inadequate skills policy.

“Skills acquisition forms the core of national development and facilitates reduction of anti-social vices among other challenges. If there is sustainable development of skills, it will reduce unemployment, poverty and insecurity in the country,’’ the ITF boss said.

She noted that with over 170 million people, Nigeria had no reason not to create and export jobs like other nation’s earning revenue from skills.

“We rank the seventh largest population in the world, with a workforce of over 69 million people, a sizeable proportion of which are within the age bracket of 18.

“We are also blessed with more than three million Diaspora importable skills and investor-friendly laws that are considered excellent by global investment bodies,” she said.

Onaeko said there should be a review of the situation where non-Nigerian workers at the expense of young Nigerians secured thousands of jobs, saying it was time to turn the country’s quantity advantage into productive advantages.

The ITF director said that to redress the inadequate skills policy, the body would organise a national skills summit to formulate a policy for Nigeria and help retain existing jobs.

She said the summit would also challenge the lopsidedness in skills applications by multinational companies.