Lack of women electrical technicians worrisome – Olufemi

Engr. Toba Olufemi is a successful technician with 15 years experience.
According to him, the dearth of women electrical technicians is worrisome, ADEOLA TUKURU reports.
Engr. Toba Olufemi, who resides in Kubwa, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) says he concerned about the low turnout of women on the electrical field.
According to the father of 3, who hails from Kogi State, vocational training will enable girls, women to earn an income and build crucial life skills, especially in Nigeria with a high unemployment rate and more than 60 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
“Prostitution and drugs are illusory tickets of poverty for many Nigerian youths,” he said.
In a chat with Business Starter, Engr.
Olufemi, said patience is a prerequisite for vocational training.
He recalls that in 2010, a young lady registered to be trained as an electrician but she discovered that the learning process was tedious and time demanding, and at the end of the day she had to stop.
He further said “After she spent a few days she came back and told me the job is taking too much of her attention that it wouldn’t give too much time for herself..
He disclosed that he has so far trained over 17 young men.
On his achievements Engr. Toba says he has achieved a lot since he came to the nation’s capital to seek greener pastures.
The HND graduate of Electrical Electronics from Kaduna Polytechnic of also said the skill is not only meant for men but also for women.
When Business Starter visited his shop recently, there were customers who either brought their electronics to be repaired or came to pick their appliances after repair.
According to the electrician, who is also into installation of general office equipments, inverter, electrical equipments, CCTV, bill board, home appliances says he has made a lot of profit from the business.
He is able to meet certain expenses adding that he also has relatives at home who depend on him for survival, “So I don’t want to disappoint them.
“With money from this business, I have been able to train my Children into their various schools, establish a thriving business for my wife and also my family members.
“I have built two houses and more if not for the past demolition, I have cars and also lands from the business and I am thankful” he said.
Challenges of the job He explained patient is required in the kind of business he is into.
He insisted that one must be able to endure and be very patient as he deals with different kinds of people on daily basis.
He also lamented that it is difficult to get spare parts of some electrical equipment in the country.
“So we look for the equivalent or we construct.
At times we end abandoning the work which has caused a great loss to us.
I am currently repairing a home theater but I can’t get the board,” he added.
Toba as he is fondly called by friend, further lamented that inferior spare parts seem to have flooded the markets but as a professional we easily identify the fake ones.
He also tasked the federal government on power s u p p l y saying that “make importation of spare parts available” as most of them cannot afford to buy some of these parts due to the exchange rates.
He urged youths and especially graduates seeking white collar jobs to learn vocational skills especially in the electrical field.
“Most of them prefer fast money than be patient and learn the job which eventually puts them in trouble,” he said.
On youths engaging on skill acquisition Recently, the group Chief Executive Officer of the United Capital Plc, Mrs.
Toyin Danni and the Lead Consultant and Chief Executive Officer, Team Masters Limited, Mr. Rotimi Eyitayo, charged Nigerian youth to acquire new skills and discover their purpose in life in order to overcome the problem of unemployment.
They spoke recently at a conference facilitated by a nongovernmental organisation, Pursuit of Purpose Network.
They said it was time the youth recognised their potential and deploy them positively rather than wait for the government to provide jobs.
Speaking on the topic, “The Journey of A Thousand Steps: Nuggets to Accelerate Growth and Avoid Pitfalls,” Sanni said, “Youths must strive to develop a heart to serve, to be ready to learn and acquire new skills, to keep an ever-expanding circle of influence, be willing to change the game and to move the cheese.
“Self-development and selfmotivation are no longer an option, they are imperative for you; you can’t escape it.
You cannot delegate your development to your parents, your employers or the federal government.
“We are in a world that has been described as ‘VUCA’, which means Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and highly Ambiguous.
In such a world, unfortunately, the unconscious, undeveloped and the unprepared will be the victims.
So, in a developing society like ours, if you do nothing, you will end up a victim.” Also speaking, Eyitayo noted that Nigerian youth should find their purpose in life if they wanted to achieve greatness.
He noted, “Purpose is an assignment, the purpose is service.
Everyone was built and designed for a purpose.
“What were you sent to the earth for? You were sent for service, you were sent for an assignment.” On pursing ones career The CEO, Integrated Corporate Services Limited, Mr.
Peter Akindeju, urged the youths to discover their purpose first before pursuing any career.
Akindeju, who also coordinates the Pursuit of Purpose Network, worried that Nigeria’s economic situation had pushed many youths into doing jobs they were not best suited for.
Speaking about what inspired the conference, he stated, “Our intention is to talk to young minds, that the first thing they need to do is to discover who they are and what purpose they are supposed to pursue in life before they decide on the career they are going to pursue.

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