Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
The Vice President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Oyo/Osun/Ekiti/Ondo branch, Mr. Lanre Popoola, has lamented the relegation of local artisans over lack of the required certification in their respective sectors.
He said this during an interactive session organised by the Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in conjunction with other members of the organised private sector for governorship aspirants in Oyo State to highlight their agenda for the private sector in the state.
The event which held in Ibadan, the state capital, was attended by the gubernatorial candidates of the National Interest Party(NIP), Mrs..Bonlanle Sarunmi-Aliyu; Zenith Labour Party(ZLP), Barrister Sharafadeen Alli; and Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), Mr. Olalekan Ayorinde.
Popoola said, “Having certified artisans will save this country a lot of money. We waste a lot of money on expatriates who are doing what our people here are doing.
“You will pay the federal government $2,000 to employ an expatriate, that is about N800,000.
“You will pay the expatriates in dollars and in naira and you will also provide for their accommodation. Our artisans can do what they are doing it’s just that they are not certified, we should have them certified.
“When we bring in even an expatriate welder, we will need to employ our local welders to do the work, but what we pay our local welders is peanuts. We should look into our technical schools and trade centres”.
The first Deputy President of ICCI, Sir Sola Abodunrun, said the private sector was very important in any nation’s economy, stating that the private sector is the major employer of labour.
Abodunrin who represented the President of the Chamber, Engr. Ismaila Alapa, noted that it was imperative to know the plans of those who intended to govern the state in terms of economic policies and development programmes, pointing out that something missing in the campaigns of the gubernatorial candidates was their plans for trade, commerce, industries and businesses owned by the private sector.
The candidates while presenting their individual plans for the private sector assured that they would initiate policies that would help the OPS to thrive in the state with Alli of ZLP stating that if elected as governor he would engage the OPS in areas such as agriculture where the state has comparative advantage.
