By Chioma Ezeokafor
The Federal government is to mobilize and deploy skilled and vocational artisans in the on-going infrastructural development of the country.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu disclosed this when he received the Association of Skilled and Vocational Artisans of Nigeria (ASVAN) in his office in Abuja on Monday.
Dr. Onu said skilled and vocational artisans were critical to infrastructural revolution, sweeping the country such as rail and road construction and other massive projects being embarked upon by the federal government.
He promised to support the organization to realize its goals of ensuring the execution of growth and support projects for the empowerment of skills and vocational artisans.
Onu called on them to collaborated with Nigerian Building and Road Research (NBRR), an agency in the Ministry for training and capacity building that would give them certification and also enhance their skills to get jobs, sources of live hood and fight poverty in the country.
Earlier, the president of the Association, Comrade Everest Obijuru said that the aims of the association were in line with the present government’s policy on self-reliance, which focused on members development and empowerment through skills acquisition, training modern equipment handling and techniques.
He also appealed for the provision of projects fund to equip their target clientele with entrepreneurship sensitization to enable functional vocational and entrepreneurship skills for its members.
