The Federal Government has announced plans to train at least 100,000 artisans across the country in 2025 under the Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) programme, an initiative of President Bola Tinubu’s administration aimed at elevating Nigerian artisans to global standards.
The Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Mr. Afiz Ogun, made this known during the inauguration of the South-West Secretariat of the Association of Nigeria Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT) held in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Monday.
Ogun explained that the initiative is a deliberate move by President Tinubu to eliminate quackery among artisans and empower them with internationally recognized skills.
“Skill Up Artisan Super is a very robust program brought by our president, President Bola Tinubu, for the artisans in Nigeria. He wants to make sure that the artisans in Nigeria are on par with their colleagues all over the world,” Ogun said.
He emphasized the importance of empowering Nigerian artisans just as professionals in other fields have gained recognition globally.
“If you go to America, you will look at the doctors there, and you will see that Nigerians are caring first. If you go anywhere in the world, in every aspect of life, you see Nigerians up there. Why not the artisans in Nigeria?” he said.
Ogun noted that the president had promised to support artisans during his campaign and is now fulfilling that promise through this programme, which is open to all artisans irrespective of political affiliations.
“He promised them during the election that he was going to take care of them. He is going to come to their aid, and he is doing exactly that now, there is no candidate from one governor or from one senator or from one local government chairman. All of them will be touched. They are all his candidates. They are all his constituents because you fought. This is the first time in the history of Nigeria that a president will remember the artisans,” Ogun stated.
He appealed to various artisan groups, ranging from barbers and tailors to mechanics and electricians, to embrace the programme and support the federal government’s efforts.
“I want you all to support the program. I want you all to stand behind him and ITF, which is pushing the program. We started last year with 29,000 artisans and non-artisans. We upgraded them to artisans. Now, we want to start with 100,000 artisans. We are upskilling you to international standards this year by the grace of God,” he said.
The ITF boss stressed that the programme will not only eradicate substandard practices but also restore pride and dignity to artisan work.
“When the artisans start gaining enormously from their sweat, then none of the artisans will deem it fit to go and start riding commercial okada as a means of transportation again. There will be dignity in labour, there will be no shame again. This is what the President wants for you, and he has started driving it. It is for you to support the program. It is for you to support the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Ogun added.
Also speaking at the event, the Ondo State Chairman of ASNAT, Mr. Babatunde Oyeleye, urged members of the association to take advantage of the initiative.
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“My advice to the artisans is to key into the program of the ITF and listen to them, so they will be trained beyond the level they have trained from the craftsmanship before. So they need to upgrade to the international level,” Oyeleye said.
He noted that while some artisans have sought further education to enhance their craft, not everyone has the resources to do so, making the government’s intervention timely and crucial.
“Most of us have left our jobs, we’ve been to the universities, this must have taken us to have more knowledge about the training work we did. But not everyone of us can be able to afford that. Now that the government has come into our aid, I believe it’s better for every artisan in Nigeria to key into the programme,” he urged.
Meanwhile, the Skill Up Artisans Super programme is expected to be a major step in revamping Nigeria’s informal sector and creating economic opportunities for skilled workers nationwide.
