Tinubu’s policies working, Nigerians’ll be happier after re-election – ITF DG

The Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund, Dr Afiz Ogun, has said the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu are working and that Nigerians will be happier if the President is re-elected.

Ogun stated this on Thursday in Jos during the ceremony marking the 55th anniversary of the ITF and his three years in office as Director-General.

The DG, who spoke before reading his official address, said he was moved to campaign for the President after reading the body language of participants and guests at the event.

He said, “I am sure the trainers here understand what I am talking about. While my colleague was speaking about the positive developments in oil and gas, I was reading the body language in this room.

“I could almost hear people saying, ‘We cannot buy fuel now; it is expensive. Things are hard.’ So permit me to campaign a little before I read my speech.”

The ITF boss said President Tinubu appointed him in 2023 without prior acquaintance, describing it as evidence of the President’s search for competent hands.

“I left Nigeria in 2004 and did not return until 2023 when I was appointed by a man who did not know me. He was simply looking for capable hands, just as he did when he was Governor of Lagos.

“In Lagos, he appointed Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and Middle Belt people as commissioners. Why? He said, ‘ We are all Nigerians, and we should look for the best hands,” he said.

Ogun said, “When he became President, many politicians lobbied for positions, but he was thinking about Nigeria. He was thinking, ‘How can I make Nigeria better so that when I leave this seat I can look back and say thank God?’”

He cited Lagos State as an example of Tinubu’s leadership model.

“Look at Lagos today. In the whole of Africa, only three countries are richer than Lagos State. It was not like that before he came. He laid the foundation, he nurtured it, he protected Lagos like a mother hen, even when Presidents fought him,” Ogun said.

He added, “People criticised him then, just as they do now. For example, they said he empowered Agberos. But in the old Lagos, armed robbers would write to tell you they were coming to your house and they would succeed. Banks were robbed in broad daylight. He looked at the root cause, empowered those young men and kept them busy. Today Lagos is one of the safest states. You hardly hear of armed robbery.”

“Sometimes when a good leader does something that looks strange, people condemn it without thinking deeply,” he said.

Ogun said two major reasons why some Nigerians dislike the President today – fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification – were actually in the best interest of the country.

He said, “Some people hate the President today because of two things, and those two things are very good for Nigeria: exchange rate unification and fuel subsidy removal.”

On the exchange rate, he said, “Before, if today one dollar was 1.5 naira, tomorrow it was two, next tomorrow three, and then back to two. It was unstable. Foreign and local investors could not plan. They would bring in money and run at a loss.

“Before this government came, the dollar was running like an aeroplane. When the President came in, it continued running, almost up to N2,000. Some ask why he did not stop it immediately. If a plane lands, does it stop instantly? It still runs for a while before it stops. That is what happened. Today the rate is stabilising, and that is good for investment,” he said.

On subsidy, Ogun said the policy was hijacked by a few.

“On fuel subsidy: Subsidy was benefiting only a few people. They would take our crude out, refine it poorly, and bring back bad fuel to sell to us. Before I left in 2004, fuel used to smell like perfume. Later, it was smelling badly and knocking engines,” he said.

He added, “The subsidised fuel meant for Nigerians was not even enjoyed by Nigerians. You would queue with jerrycans and buy at exorbitant prices, while the product was being smuggled in tankers across our borders for people to make billions of dollars.

“Since this government removed subsidy, how many times have you seen queues at petrol stations? Yes, we are suffering now, but let us endure. Those few who were benefiting are doing everything to bring the old system back, because there is wealth in poverty for them. Their wealth grows when poverty increases,” he said.

Ogun said, “Some are campaigning that they will bring subsidy back. If you vote for them, I am sorry for you.”

He said other reforms were also yielding results, citing industrial harmony in the education sector.

“Look at other reforms. How many times have lecturers gone on strike in the last three and a half years since President Tinubu came in? The policies are working, but Rome was not built in a day,” he said.

On ITF’s performance under his leadership, Ogun said staff welfare had been central to productivity gains.

“At ITF, for example, when we ask for staff welfare, the President is always supportive. He says the people doing the work must be taken care of. That is why we have been able to move from 39 to 170 in terms of our performance. That is the policy of this government,” he stated.

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He urged Nigerians to shun ethnic and religious sentiments.

“If I continue to talk about this government, I will talk and talk. Let us remove ethnicity. Let us remove where he comes from, whether he has a Christian or Muslim wife. Let us take Nigeria as Nigeria. You here are an example. It was tough when I came in, you complained. But now you are happier. By the grace of God, Nigeria will be happier under this administration,” he said.

In his formal address presented at the Yakubu Gowon Auditorium and Gymnasium Complex, Jos, Ogun traced the history of the ITF, which was established on October 8, 1971, by the General Yakubu Gowon administration to address manpower gaps after independence.

He said, “Today, 55 years later, we celebrate this landmark as a tribute to our commitment, resilience, and dedication as an organisation and its workforce.”

“I am aware that we had to overcome numerous hamstrings and debilitating challenges that stood in our path while also contributing significantly to the goals and objectives of the Federal Government, even as other institutions with supposedly greater potential and more robust mandates have either gone under or are floundering,” he said.

Ogun paid tribute to past leaders of the Fund, including Dr Abel Ubeku, Mrs Nene Archibong, Alhaji Mohammed Dikko, Alhaji Lawal Tudun Wada, Alhaji Hassan Ahmed II, Prof. Olu Emenifo Akerejola, Prof. Longmas Sambo Wapmuk, Dr Juliet Chukkas-Onaeko and Sir Joseph N. Ari.

He said that since assuming office on October 17, 2023, his administration had pursued a transformation agenda anchored on skills development and digital reforms.

According to him, “In the last three years, we have expanded the Fund’s reach and impact, strengthened strategic partnerships with local and international institutions, introduced global standards in vocational education and skills certification, modernised our operational processes through digital transformation, and empowered hundreds of thousands of Nigerians through innovative skills acquisition programmes including the Skill-Up Artisans (SUPA) programme.”

He said SUPA was conceived to train, re-train, standardise, certify and professionalise artisanal practice, adding that hundreds of thousands had been trained in three phases, with another 200,000 targeted for 2026, while over 7,000 artisans had undergone international certification examinations.

He said the Fund had moved away from the traditional starter-pack model to three sustainable exit pathways – the Talent Export Pathway, the Industry Placement Pathway and the Business Incubation Pathway.

To support implementation, he said the Fund had assessed 1,308 training centres and approved 776, significantly expanding access to quality vocational training.

Ogun said the ITF had forged partnerships with Alberk QA Technic of Turkey for ISO 17024 standards, City & Guilds of the United Kingdom, ASQ Solutions UK, Japan’s METI and AOTS, as well as the Dangote Group, Bank of Industry, NELFUND and NBTE.

On staff welfare, he said, “Since assuming office, I have remained firmly committed to staff welfare, recognising that a motivated, well-supported, and highly skilled workforce is critical to delivering our mandate.”

He listed promotion exercises, capacity building, renovation of the main office complex, construction of a fuel station at headquarters with a 47,600-litre storage capacity, a staff fuel-card scheme, and sustained loan, health insurance and pension programmes.

He said the Fund had recertified its ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System, adopted the ISO 17024 framework and digitised operations, including SIWES management, reimbursement processing and SUPA administration.

On infrastructure, he said completed projects included the fuel station, corps members’ lodge, Modern Skills Academy in Jos, staff quarters in Port Harcourt, Model Skills Training Centre in Enugu, renovation of the Akure Area Office and solar projects across facilities, while a Mechatronics and ICT Training Centre was under construction in Ikare-Akoko.

He said new area offices were being developed in Lafia and Bauchi, while renovations were ongoing in Benin, Calabar, Enugu, Apapa and Ilorin.

Ogun said Nigeria’s admission as the 83rd member of WorldSkills International and the establishment of the WorldSkills Academy in Abuja were major milestones that positioned Nigeria on the global skills map.

He said, “Personally, I want to see an ITF known across borders as the leading learning and development Agency that Nigerians can depend on to facilitate the development of the National economy.

“I will also want to see an ITF that competes favourably with other learning and development Agencies worldwide,” he added, urging staff to imbibe the core values of integrity, efficiency and effectiveness, commitment, loyalty, teamwork, professionalism and creativity.

He thanked the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, supervising ministry, organised private sector and ITF workforce, past and present, for their support.

Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, Bamanga Usman Jada, who was among the dignitaries at the event, congratulated the ITF on the milestone.

He said, “ITF, congratulations. It was an impactful journey.”

He added, “When I was taken to your Centre of Excellence, what I saw was amazing, it was of international standard. All are fully developed under our teacher and trainer, the current DG. Indeed, Nigeria needs ITF to achieve its developmental objectives.”

Our Correspondent reports that the 55th anniversary celebration on Thursday featured a cultural interlude by students of the ITF Model School, interfaith prayers and a novelty football match between management and junior staff.

The second day of the celebration will continue on Friday with a training walk by staff from the headquarters to Miango Junction, a visit to an orphanage and correctional facility, and indoor board games, among other activities.