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- Auto technicians, bricklayers, tailors lament, urge govt to invest in skills acquisition programmes
By Kehinde Aderemi
Nigeria is gradually drifting towards a skills crisis, as youths continue to lose interest in and shun apprenticeship.
The warning came last week at a forum where artisans and experts lamented the growing dearth of trainees in workshops across the country. Youths are abandoning skill acquisition, leaving ageing masters with no successors, they bewail.
At the various automobile engineering, welding, tailoring, hairdressing and bricklaying workshops, the benches that trained a generation are now sitting idly, gathering dust.
Mr Peter Afia, a generator mechanic who specialises in petrol engines, raised concern over the shortage of apprentices and trainees.
He added that the youth of these days just want to live big without enduring any form of hardship or making the slightest form of sacrifice.
Afia, also known as Sir P, stated that there is a need for the government to continue to assist and encourage those who are willing to acquire skills through the various empowerment programmes.
“Youth of nowadays want something big. They see their colleagues using flashy cars, and they want to belong. They are not willing to learn any skill, and they prefer to engage in internet fraud, infamously known here as Yahoo Yahoo so that they can make quick money.
“As an engineer, I train my apprentices without collecting money from them. That is how I have been doing since I started this job. It is the grace God has given to me to impart knowledge to the people. And in the last 20 years, I have trained more than 40 trainees.
“My boss, Mr Bassey, a Ghanaian, took me as a son. He showed me love, and he was like a father to me. That is why I have vowed to reciprocate that to people who trained under me and that has been what keeps me going,” he said.
Hameed Kehinde, an automobile engineer in Ikeja, Lagos, said the problem with the youth of these days still remains that many of them cannot endure the sacrifices involved in training as artisans. He added that the youth of today are not submissive to their elders or bosses and they are impatient.
“When you talk about the youth of today, you are talking about a generation of young men and women that lack patience. They like to climb the ladder from the top and not from the bottom. That is why you see them getting involved in various cyber crimes like Yahoo Yahoo, rituals and kidnapping.
“The danger in all of these is that those of us that are the older generation are leaving the stage for those that have lost the value of hard work, integrity, patience and respect for elders.
“We are leaving the stage for youth that are supposed to be the ambassadors of the future, but that are now engrossed in a number of social vices. We cannot be proud of the young people of today that deeply get involved in gambling, cultism and rituals because they are interested in toeing the fast track. They don’t want to endure and sacrifice at all.
“The problem of artisans losing trainees by the day is bad to the extent that even parents these days are also not helping matters. They want their children to get rich at all costs. Unfortunately, the society has also failed to address the issue of youth empowerment. Skills acquisition for the children has to do with the relationship between the parents and the artisans.
“For instance, as an automobile engineer, I have taught graduates from prominent universities and polytechnics that come to acquire practical knowledge of automobiles from me. The new knowledge of automobile engineering today involves education because most of the vehicles we repair now are advanced, automatic and technologically driven. Therefore, we also use technology like scanners and a few other technological appliances to do our jobs.
“I implore parents to support any of their children that is interested in learning skills. This is the best we can do to fill the gap and restore sanity in the society”, he said.
Mr Adekunle Balogun, a building contractor, blamed the society for shifting focus on hard work and dignity of labour as prerequisites for success and wealth.
According to him, the society plays key roles in determining societal values that dictate how things are done on daily basis.
Balogun said the society has shifted its appeal from hard work to side hustle. He also added that during his days as a trainee at the technical school in Ogun State, students were serious and determined to make it in life by being hardworking.
He restated the need for the society to adjust and refocus the societal values on what can endure rather than things that are fleeting and uncertain.
“During our days, we heard people say there was dignity in labour and people respect whoever that was diligent and hardworking, irrespective of the kind of jobs such a person was doing then. In those days, bricklaying was a skill that was meant for just anyone, even without parents or guardians, because the trainees of those years needed little tools to do their jobs.
“ The belief then was that a bricklaying apprentice or trainee would still be able to afford the tools needed to start his job after freedom. But nowadays, things have changed. None of the youth is really interested in learning bricklaying. They prefer quick money and easy means of livelihood.
“Nigeria of today is even worse than when we were growing up. You can hardly survive the present economy without having to do more than what can sustain you and your family.
“As a building contractor, I started my journey from the scratch and I thank God that today, the sacrifices, endurance and patience later paid off. So, I will advise the youth of today to be focused and stay away from Yahoo Yahoo and other vices that can put them to shame. They should learn a skill. Even as a graduate, nothing stops you from learning a skill because I believe that no knowledge is a waste.
“Whether you are an engineer, a fashion designer, a cobbler or a barber, none of these skills are wasted. Bricklaying is a tedious skill. It is not for a lazy trainee, but even at that, it has a great future. Government at all levels are now advocating youth engagement in the various vocational skills at primary, secondary and tertiary institutions”, he said.
Mr Johnson Olatoye, an automobile electrician, noted that the issue of lack of trainees in artisans’ workshops did not start today.
The present situation in the country, he said, no longer guarantees free food for a lazy man. He pointed out that the society is responsible for what is happening today because the focus is more on education. That, he stated, has given room for why the society undermines the artisans as ne’er-do-wells.
Olatoye also stated that there has been unnecessary pressure from some parents to their children. The pressure, he said, has to do with how some parents compare their children with their age mates in the society.
He highlighted the disadvantage of social media as one of the tools of distraction to the young generation of today, even as he advised parents to monitor their children daily and ensure that they provide for their needs according to their means.
“Parents should understand that the youth of this generation are very smart and impatient. They cannot endure and that is why they are not interested in learning any skill. But no matter the situation, we should continue to tell them that there is a future in skill acquisition. And that whoever that can sacrifice and endure to learn would enjoy the best of life,” he stated.
In her views, Mrs Temitope Banjo, a popular fashion designer in Ikorodu Lagos, who is also the director of Temitope Stitches, said young girls of today are no longer interested in learning skills because they are easily distracted by the societal appeal for quick money.
Madam Banjo stated further that young ladies today are always distracted with what they see, forgetting that many of the riches, and affluence displayed in real life or on social media have little or no value.
“Young girls of today look for Yahoo boys that can take care of them. They don’t want to endure the years of learning. However, fashion designing is a skill for the future but when you look at the youth of these days, you begin to wonder what they intend to do with their lives.
“But I think the parents also have a role to play by advising and guiding the children so that they would not lose focus. Parents should know the kinds of friends their children go out with. It is our responsibility as parents to train these children in the way of God so that they would not miss their steps when they grow up,” she stated.
Mr. Timothy Uwah, also known as Talented, is a phone repairer. He blamed the dearth of apprenticeship on the Nigerian economy.
Uwah said the failure of the government to make artisanal vocations more attractive was the reason for the problem.
“Our youth are on the fast track. Whoever decides to learn any skill now will have to endure years of struggle and the economic situation is not too good. You can imagine the sacrifices we endure before gaining this knowledge. None of the youth of today can endure the struggle,” he said.
Mr Monsuru Omitola, another engineer, expressed concern about the shortage of apprentice artisans. He said the future of the country lies in the ability to appreciate artisans and those that are well trained in different kinds of skilled job.
“Today, I am happy that I am seeing the rewards of my sacrifices as a trained engineer. There is nothing a graduate can achieve that an artisan cannot achieve in terms of the luxuries that bring comfort to life,” he said
Meanwhile, MrJoseph Isong advised the youth not to despise skills training. He also explained that it is also good to combine that with education, including acquiring university education.
According to him, education would help in transforming whatever one does as an artisan. He stated further that there is no limit to what an educated person can achieve because education provides better opportunities for whoever that is willing to learn and acquire practical knowledge in any area of life.
“I am a graduate. I am also an engineer. I handle repairs and maintenance of all kinds of petrol generators. I use my knowledge as a graduate to do my job as a professional and that has really helped my career,” he stated.
