Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has called for requisite trainings for youth geared towards eventually lead to industrial revolution.
The minister who was represented by the Director of Metallurgical Training Institute (MTI), Mr. Olabode Fakuade, said this at the 24th matriculation ceremony of the institute in Onitsha at the weekend. He stated that “the world is getting to know that there is no alternative to technological development and that accounts for people’s awareness of the importance of skill and acquiring it for empowerment, job creation, development and taking the youths out of vices.
The minister said the ministry has commenced processes for the accreditation of the courses offered by the institute with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) so that MTI students can further their studies in other higher institutions in and outside the country.
He added that the institute having been established based on the Decree that established all steel companies in Nigeria, need to stand on an established law, instead of an enveloped decree, and the in recognition of that, the Ministry is working on the Bill establishing the institute, which will be presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval and onward transmission to the National Assembly for enactment as a law.
He noted that for the country to gain substantial growth in its technological revolution there is need to train young men and women in the art of engineering, who will be well skilled and able to maintain and run the country’s industrial sector.
Earlier in his address, the Director of MTI, Mr. Fakuade said “the problem of unemployment is largely due to absence of skilled manpower to be usefully engaged in various sectors of the country’s economy, especially the industrial and manufacturing sectors. He stressed that, “MTI avails various calibers of Nigerians the opportunity to acquire technical education that provides necessary skills for gainful employment, self – employment and job creation. 270 students matriculated during the ceremony to study in the 3-year MTI Diploma Programme in mechanical maintenance engineering, industrial electrical engineering, instrumentation and control systems engineering, steel fabrication and welding engineering, heavy mobile equipment maintenance engineering and industrial metallurgy and foundry engineering.
“The students are therefore charged to be of good behaviour and take their academics seriously, shun cultism and other social vices because it will do them no good” adding that the management has zero tolerance for cultism, stealing, fighting, truancy and examination malpractices, and if found guilty of any of the offences, will be punished accordingly. Speaking the ongoing projects in the school, the director said,
“The institute is currently undergoing some infrastructural upliftment, government has made provision for purchase, repairs and maintenance of our training facilities and infrastructures and these works are going on, we want a three storey 2000 capacity hostel building and it is expected to take off as soon as the 2018 budget is approved.
He stated that, “All these are put together to improve the quality of our training as well as provide conducive environment for teaching and learning, we shall ensure that nothing short of the best is given to the students for total empowerment to make them skillful in their chosen profession so as to impact our nation positively,” he said.
