Business
Association Tasks Youths On Skills Acqusition
The Association of Building Artisans of Nigeria (ASBAN) has advised Nigerian youths to acquire vocational skills to enable them to be self employed.
The National President of ASBAN, Mr Jimmy Oshunbi, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
Oshunbi said that acquisition of technical skills, especially in the construction sector, would go a long way in solving the high rate of unemployment in the country.
According to him, the construction sector in developing country like Nigeria is the highest provider of job opportunities.
He said Nigerian youths could learn a skill in the sector.
He stressed that people should start looking for ways to be independent, instead of going from one place to another looking for white-collar jobs.
Oshunbi advised Nigerian youths to acquire vocational skills after obtaining certificates from schools because a time would come when paper certificates would no longer be relevant.
“Everybody wants to go to the university to obtain paper certificates and at the end the day there is no job; white-collar jobs are not there.
“It is high time Nigerian youths started thinking of how to be self-employed and the only way to do that is to learn a trade and become employers instead of being employees.
“Records showed that we have about 70 billion unemployed youths in Nigeria and that is what gave birth to Boko Harram because an idle man is the devil’s workshop,” Jimmy said.
The ASBAN boss said the association had embarked on “train the trainers programs’’ at Federal Polytechnic in Ilaro and at Lagos State Polytechnic.
According to him, the three-month programme is for the retraining of Nigerian building artisans to meet the required standards in construction.
He said the programme was also aimed at changing the orientation of Nigerians artisans in the construction industry.
“Most Nigerians artisans go to work with torn dresses and bathroom slippers; such attitude undermines the reputation of artisans.
“But whenever you see foreign artisans, they look very neat, wearing helmets and aprons. Security is their watchword.
“We want to inculcate such attitude in indigenous artisans.
“I believe that with this training, such negative attitude of Nigerian artisans will change,” he said.
ASBAN boss said that there was no age limit for a person who wanted to learn a trade, stressing that a retired man could still learn a trade
He said: “As long as you are still alive and healthy, you can learn a trade.’’
According to him, the associate does not just end at training these artisans, but also searched and got jobs for them.
“Payment of tuition fees for undergraduate/postgraduate studies shall be subject to a maximum limit of $25,000.00 per semester,” the Manual states.
The expansion of international card limits also reflects growing confidence among lenders that foreign exchange liquidity has improved enough to support retail dollar transactions.
Speaking recently at the BusinessDay 14th Annual CEO Forum in Lagos, CBN Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the CBN said buying and selling activities now increasingly determine outcomes in the foreign exchange market, unlike in the past when market participants relied heavily on routine Central Bank interventions.
According to Cardoso, Nigeria’s net foreign exchange reserves have risen from just over $3 billion at the start of the reform programme to more than $40 billion, while gross reserves have climbed to about $52 billion, providing stronger confidence for investors and enabling the Central Bank to reserve interventions for periods of market stress rather than day-to-day liquidity management.
The restoration and expansion of international naira card spending limits are increasingly being seen as one of the clearest signs that the benefits of the CBN’s foreign exchange reforms are beginning to reach households, students and businesses making legitimate cross-border payments.
The Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, WEC, Dr Angela Wilkinson, disclosed this in a statement, last Thursday.
“Nigeria’s participation comes at a pivotal time as the country seeks to expand energy access, strengthen energy security, accelerate gas development and mobilise the capital required for industrialisation and sustainable economic growth.
“WEC Nigeria will convene leaders from across the energy ecosystem, apply the WEC’s globally recognised Energy Trilemma framework to Nigeria’s unique context, and promote evidence-based dialogue, practical collaboration and informed policymaking.
“It will also ensure that Nigerian and broader African perspectives contribute meaningfully to global energy conversations,” she said.
Wilkinson expressed confidence that Nigeria would play a significant leadership role at the World Energy Congress scheduled for Riyadh in April 2027 and beyond.
The statement also quoted the Chairman of WEC Nigeria, Isa, as describing the country’s participation as an opportunity to deepen national and African leadership within the global energy community through practical solutions tailored to regional development priorities.
He said the platform would promote collaboration across sectors and attract sustainable investments into Nigeria’s energy sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of WEC Nigeria, Wunti, was quoted in the statement as saying that the council would connect leadership, evidence and investment to build a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system.
“This system will be capable of driving economic growth and shared prosperity.”
According to him, the platform will also connect Nigerian institutions and businesses with international knowledge, technology, partnerships and investment opportunities through the World Energy Council’s global network.
Recall that WEC, founded in 1923, is the world’s oldest independent and impartial community of energy leaders and practitioners, advancing informed, collaborative and practical action across the global energy system.