The Director General of the Industrial Training Fund, (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari has disclosed that the media has been a major source of the success story of the of the organisation.
He stated this during a media forum organised by the Correspondent’s chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Plateau State Council in Jos, the State capital.
According to him, with the media support so far, the body will redouble its efforts in order to achieved the mandate placed on it by the federal government.
He said, “Let me say unequivocally that the media has played a vital role in driving the organization to what it is today especially in terms of corporate exposure and visibility.
“That the ITF is mentioned in every conversation today that has a bearing on skills acquisition, job creation and poverty reduction is on account of your extensive coverage of our activities and programmes”, he added.
However, he reiterated that the ITF has come to the growing realization that “we are in a world of innovation and ideation and, therefore, must appropriately respond rather than rest on our oars”
He then lamented that daily, reports of acts of criminality that could only have been imagined some few years back amongst other numerous usual challenges that are confronting Nigeria, are throwing grave challenged, and to overcome the challenges, Nations are devising strategies to reduce unemployment, poverty, increased social inclusion and other initiatives which the ITF is striving hard to achieved.
“It was perhaps in response to these threats and other considerations that the Federal Government recently unveiled the 5-year National Development Plan (2021-2025) to replace the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (EGRP). The plan, which projects the creation of 21 million jobs, with 35 million Nigerians lifted out of poverty, affordable housing for Nigerians and an export-led economy among others.
It “is expected to cost N381 trillion to implement has six focal areas – economic growth and development, infrastructure, public administration, human capital development, social development and regional development. As the leading human capital development institution in Nigeria,
“we have commenced the process of repositioning our programmes and activities to effectively prepare the Nation’s workforce in line with our mandate of developing a pool of qualified Nigerians to man the public and private sectors of the national economy as we believe that for this plan to succeed, all Nigerians as individual citizens and as institutions must contribute their bit”
He was full of appreciation to the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration for finding him worthy for reappointment and added that with the media support as usual, the organisation will not disappoint the President and the country at large.
