Zulum Links Insecurity to Lack of Technical, Vocational Skills

…Partners ITF to boost youth productivity

James Emejo in Abuja

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, yesterday attributed the current spate of insecurity across the country to lack of technical and vocational education for youths.

He said the mismatch between the educational system and the industries as well as the mismatch between graduates and the labour market constituted two major problems affecting employability in the country.

Zulum, during a visit to the Model Training Centre of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) in Abuja, said the lack of entrepreneurship development had given way to insecurity-kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, oil bunkering among others.

He argued that the root causes of insurgency were not limited to endemic poverty, illiteracy, social inequality, poor economic and social infrastructures, drug abuse, environmental degradation, climate change, but also traceable to the dearth of entrepreneurship in the country.

According to him, “If we want to move forward we must address the issue of security.”

The governor said the purpose of his visit was to interface with the Fund with a view to promoting technical and vocational education in Borno State, as well as the entire North-east region.

After a tour of the model centre, Zulum, who was impressed by the state-of-art facilities on ground, said the state would partner the ITF specifically in the areas of electrical installations, sub mechatronics and culinary services among others.

He said: “We have seen their level of participation. They have the state-of-the-art facilities, which the state government will partner them for.”

On the sustainability of the programme for the proposed beneficiaries, the governor said: “We are not just here to see things for ourselves and go back, we are here to understand the entire system; to see how we can ensure the establishment of veritable and sustainable technical and vocational technical education.

He noted that despite the rich potential of ITF, the organisation had never been well exploited by Nigerians to bridge the current skills challenges.

Zulum said: “We have two major problems in Nigeria that affect employability. One is the mismatch between our educational system and the industries, which is a very serious problem. Our universities and polytechnics are not linked to our industries, and we shall never get it right.”

However, the Director General/Chief Executive of ITF, Mr. Joseph Ari, expressed strong approval for the partnership between the state and ITF.

He said the collaboration would also address the issues of youth restiveness in the North-east region as well as provide means of memorable skills for youths to be self-sufficient.