SMEs
Education, Skills, Which Comes First?
The problems of unemployment and economic uncertainty in the country have resulted in doubts in some families, whether to go on spending money on the education of their children or to push them to skill acquisition from the early stages of their lives.
Many claimed that the best thing to do is to look at the financial involvement before settling down for one at the expense the other.
The Tide’s Senior Correspondent, Lilian Peters went to town to feel the pulse of parents and entrepreneurs on what should be the needful, “education or, and Skill acquisition”.
Guess the outcome:
Mrs Evelyn Ihesiaba
An educationist, Mrs Evelyn Ihesiaba says, “the importance of education cannot be overemphasized and as such has a vital role to play in the life of any individual, child or otherwise. The basic aim of getting educated shouldn’t be centered on getting a white collar job.
“Education is more like a human refinery that tends to polish one’s persona. Such a tool shouldn’t be placed side by side with skill acquisition”.
To Mrs. Ihesiaba, who has 1st degree in Engineering and Masters in education, “It is not advisable to take a child straight to skill acquisition without first introducing him/her to any form of formal education. Skill acquisition could be introduced to a child mid-education phases (terminal breaks).
“Education is a major factor that fosters the actualisation of one’s destiny. It should be education and skill acquisition. Parents should expose their children to the two, to gender a better tomorrow”.
Ihesiaba who is in the education industry noted that education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession, especially at a school or university.
The educationist said that the issue of determination should not be removed from the learning process which she noted guarantees success in the knowledge industry.
To an entrepreneur that sales second hand women and children clothes in Port Harcourt, fundly called “OK clothes”, Mrs Ify Ejemuta, education is the first and best thing parents should give to their children.
“With education, one will never be a second class citizen among his/her mates because there are places skills cannot take a person to but education will.
“Only educated people recognise and take opportunities. Without education one would be timid and afraid to meet with some classes of people in the society.
“When a person is educated, no matter how long it takes for the person to be fixed, one day the miracle would happen and the person would recover the lost years”, she said.
Ejemuta noted that skills serves as a sustaining factor to the graduate during the period of waiting, adding that without education as the basis life becomes frustrating.
“Skill is good but cannot achieve a desired purpose without education. No parent should send his/her child to learn any skill without first sending the child to school because education brightens a child’s future and destiny.
“Children that have parents that refused to send them to school should plead with their parents to send them back to school or struggle to train themselves with money made from skills, she added.
She retereited that education can commence at any time, which she said is better than never, saying, “there is free education up to Senior secondary level in the state.
“Last year Gov Nyesom Wike paid for common entrance, junior and Senior WAEC examinations. It will be wickedness on the part of any parent to deny the child basic education”.
A shop owner at Rumuolumini, Port Harcourt, Mrs Love Porole said “it is not good to send a child to learn skills without former education because that child will not meet up in the present society”.
Porole who said she has suffered limitations in her business due to lack of education, said denying any child basic education in the present time is wickedness.
“I was denied education by my parents because they were ignorant. I know what I have missed and l decided my children will not suffer what I suffered.
“Today l have two graduates, one under graduate and the last one will also enter to study engineering. I feel happy for the sacrifice and all of them have one skill or the other to join with their education”, she said.
She noted that it is the duty of parents to ensure that their children are educated, adding that skills should be added and acquired alongside with education, especially during holidays.
“Employment or no employment, education remains the answer to the child’s future. Skills can only sustain but education will take them far in fulfilling the purpose for which they were created”.
“Education is the best, how l wish l can turn the hand of the clock, l would have been educated but l am happy that what I lost my children have gained it through our sacrifice as parents”.
By: My Business with Lilian Peters
SMEs
Real Estate Firm Trains 350 Youths
A real estate firm, Adozilion Homes and Realty, has trained 350 young men and women in real estate entrepreneurship.
The week-long training was held during a seminar themed “Eklisia Realtors Conference”, which was held in Lagos.
In a statement, the Chief Executive Officer of Adozilion Homes and Realty, Dr Adozi Simon, said the conference was aimed at equipping young realtors with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in the dynamic Nigerian real estate market.
Simon said, “There is a very critical housing deficit in Nigeria. Millions lack adequate shelter, and bridging this gap requires innovative solutions and partnerships”.
He explained that Adozillion Homes and Realty organised the event to empower and transform 350 young entrepreneurs and give them the necessary knowledge to excel in the real estate sector.
He added, “We believe in empowering realtors and recognising excellence to contribute to the growth and success of the entire industry, and that is why we have trained and empowered over 350 of you young men and women at this conference.
”The future of the Nigerian housing industry lies in collaboration, innovation, and commitment to inclusivity”.
He also highlighted the need for collaboration with the government to drive regulation, quality, transparency, and accountability.
Meanwhile, the Board Chairman of Adozillion Homes and Realty, Dr Sam Egube, acknowledged the challenges of rising cost of land, limited access to finance, and inadequate infrastructure in the country.
He urged realtors to be intentional in their approach and collaborate effectively.
Dr Egube said, “The poor is the man who thinks receiving is his only way out of poverty. Be intentional about how you collaborate with the government to drive regulation, quality, transparency, and accountability”.
Also, a keynote speaker at the conference, Dr Niyi Adesanya, lamented the rising housing deficit across the country.
He said, “Every Nigerian deserves a safe, secure, and dignified place to call home. Don’t ever ask for help if you’re in the midst of the one per cent (rich). The quality of your conversation can change your life.
“The Eklisia realtors’ conference stands as a testament to the company’s dedication to advancing the real estate profession and ultimately paving the way for a thriving real sector and fulfilling the dream of accessible and dignified housing for all Nigerians”.
Adozilion Homes and Realty last year launched the Monte Carlo City in the Epe area of Lago State.
SMEs
ACCI Urges Govt To Confront, Eliminate Multiple Taxation
The new President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Emeka Obegolu, has urged both Federal and State Governments to deal with the problem of multiple taxation to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and create jobs.
“We must confront multiple taxation and eliminate it. We must put Nigerians to work”, Barrister Obegolu said at his inauguration ceremony as the 12th President of the ACCI in Abuja, recently.
“We must never forget that it is the private sector – not the government – that is the engine of economic opportunity. Businesses, particularly small businesses, flourish and can provide good jobs when the government acts as a productive partner”, he said.
Commending the Federal Government’s bold move to remove fuel subsidy and its initiatives such as the unification of the foreign exchange market and the student loan programme, he said though the measures may have initially tested Nigerians’ resilience, they will, with time, yield the desired results.
Obegolu urged the government to deepen the collaboration with the private sector, represented by the chamber of commerce, a partnership that, he said, has the potential to significantly benefit the business community, the society at large, and the national economy.
Obegolu said because of the nature of Nigeria’s strategic and national security challenges, there is a need for everyone to work together with the national security and defence architecture to ensure pragmatic and visible support for national security and defence and; promote public cooperation across the sectors.
He said the ACCI will in conjunction with the defence and national security leadership institute, organise an annual summit on security, defence, and business to review and proffer solutions to the challenges facing Nigeria as a nation.
“This will foster confidence and assurance that Nigeria is a safe destination for investment”, he stated.
He promised that under his watch, ACCI would proactively adapt to the evolving landscape. He also said his presidency will prioritise collaboration with the government and other non-state stakeholders, and capacity building within the ACCI team, enhancing management processes for improved efficiency and productivity.
“I have spent my working life in the private sector, 25 years in the private sector. I understand that when the government takes money out of the hands of people, it shrinks their disposable income. If they can’t buy things, the economy doesn’t grow. If the economy doesn’t grow, we won’t put Nigerians to work”, he stated.
In a goodwill message, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, described ACCI as a beacon for innovation and economic growth and a staunch advocate for ease of doing business.
He urged the new ACCI President and his counterparts in other Chambers of Commerce to find programmes to bring the youths closer to the chambers.
“Bring the youths to the entrepreneurial programmes you have. Please prioritise initiatives that promote inclusion; expose them to opportunities that will make them have confidence in doing the right things”, the lawmaker urged.
He also told the leaders of the various chambers of commerce in the Southeast region to come up with ways of developing themselves and impacting society.
SMEs
FG Plans PPP For Port Scanner Installations
The Federal Government says it is considering the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) option to oversee the installation and maintenance of scanning technology at the nation’s ports.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday after the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and his Transportation counterpart, Said Alkali, met with the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, in Abuja.
The trip agreed that physical inspection of cargoes at the ports must be phased out.
According to The Tide’s source’s report, the immediate past Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (retd), at the unveiling of the three scanners at Apapa in 2022, said the Federal Government would be procuring more scanners before the end of 2023.
Agents have, however, called on the government to install more scanners in the country’s seaports and border stations to boost cargo clearance.
In a statement jointly signed by the spokesperson for the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Ismail Omipidan, and the Customs spokesman, Abdullahi Maiwada, the government officials agreed that the collaborative model aims to sustain efficiency and foster innovation in cargo inspection processes.
They added that the use of modern technologies like scanners was important in addressing the issue of port congestion in a bid to ensure efficiency and competitiveness even as the CGC was charged to enforce the use of scanners at the ports.
At the meeting, the Ministers endorsed immediate action to rectify and optimise all existing scanners at prominent ports such as Apapa, Tincan Island, Onne, and Port & Terminal Multipurpose Limited.
“Simultaneously, the existing mobile scanners will be strategically deployed to facilitate expeditious cargo inspections”, the statement said.
Also speaking, the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, who attended virtually, pledged NRC’s continued commitment to freighting cargoes to inland container depots/dry ports, adding that it would be a strategic move to alleviate congestion at major ports.
Plans were also unveiled at the meeting for the efficient evacuation of containers from Port Harcourt to Aba, with future extensions envisaged for Onne Port.
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