Chekwube Nzomiwu 
Whilst the contentious tax bills sent to the National Assembly by the President attracted public attention, something very significant occurred at the Senate last week without much media hype.
On Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the Nigerian Senate unanimously passed for the second reading a bill, seeking to establish the Federal College of Skills Acquisition and Technology, Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State. The bill was sponsored by Senator Dr. Victor Umeh (OFR) representing Anambra Central senatorial district.
The sponsor conceived the bill to create a federal institution, the first of its kind in Nigeria, to offer training and certification for unemployed youths on basic skills and technology, such as bricklaying, electrical installations, plastering, roofing, plumbing, painting, cooling systems, refrigeration, carpentry, steel fabrications, welding, ceiling POPs, iron bending and fittings.
The bill seconded by Senator Tony Nwoye, representing Anambra North senatorial district, received overwhelming support from other senators, particularly Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North senatorial district, who spoke eloquently about it.
Why is this bill important? Often, unemployment in Nigeria has been described as a time bomb, waiting to explode. Very many Nigerians believe that the high rate of unemployment amid the growing population explosion, more than any other factor, contributes to the security challenges in different parts of the country, including the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery and the menace of unknown gunmen.
Unemployment has also been linked to other social vices, such as youth restiveness, drug addiction, prostitution, different forms of cybercrimes and political thuggery. This insecurity has adversely affected the standard of living in the country.
How then can this time bomb be defused to save the country from the impending catastrophe? In the opinion of experts, when done right, skills development could reduce unemployment and underemployment, and increase labour productivity and competitiveness.
For instance, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its “Decent Work Agenda in Africa 2007-2015” reiterated the importance of skills development in generating employment, increasing productivity and competitiveness.
Regrettably the ILO noted in the same document that Africa was suffering from acute shortages of skilled workers that were holding back the growth and development of the continent.
Very recently, experts at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) told Nigeria and other economies in Sub Saharan Africa to urgently create jobs for their growing population.
Quoting a report published by the ‘Premium Times’ on October 22, 2024, two experts at the African Department of the IMF, Athene Laws and Fathen Saliba, described the need for quick response to this challenge as pressing across the region, especially in fragile and low income countries.
According to the report, the experts made this submission at an analytical corner during the World Bank/IMF meeting in Washington DC. Against this backdrop, the bill initiated by Senator Umeh is not only commendable but also timely. Supporting the bill, Senator Oshiomhole, a two-time Governor of Edo State and former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said:
“This is the kind of institution that we should be encouraging, not even universities of technology. Mr. President, it will shock you when you interact with first class civil engineering contractors, to know that they are looking for technicians.
They advertise on notice boards at their sites for technicians but they cannot find them. They need plumbers but they cannot find them.
They cannot find people with those basic skills. “I travelled with President Jonathan to somewhere in Southern Africa, one of these small countries, but I felt embarrassed, seeing the Nigerian Ambassador pleading with that country’s President to admit Nigerians to learn bricklaying, plumbing and all those basic skills.
I felt so belittled because this President reminded us that he was a product of the Nigerian Police College Ikeja. Now, we are asking him to provide Nigerians the opportunity to be taught plumbing, bricklaying and making Plaster of Paris (POP), among others.”
Speaking further, Oshiomhole said: “The crisis of unemployment in Nigeria would be solved by the kind of bill he (Umeh) proposed. We are faced today, not just by the fact that many people are not employed. The real shame is that many of these young people are not unemployable. That compounds the problem.”
