Abel Leonard, Lafia Correspondent
Governor Abdullahi Sule has disclosed that Nasarawa State has not been remitting its mandatory one percent deduction to the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
He stated this when he hosted a delegation from the Lafia Zonal Office of the ITF, at the government house, Lafia.
Governor Sule then directed the ITF officials to liaise with the Secretary to the State Government, and the Head of the State Civil Service with a view to finding modalities on how the state would key into the training programmes of the fund.
Earlier, the Manager, Lafia Area Office of the ITF, Malam Garba Hassan, said they were at the government house to inform the governor of their desire to key into the agenda of his administration on youth empowerment, skills acquisition and self-reliance.
Hassan added that the Lafia office has so far trained 900 youths from the state, with each empowered with starter packs for self-reliance.
He stressed that the objective of the fund is to develop human capital in all sectors of the Nigerian economy, while describing the ITF as the foremost training organisation in the country.
The area manager further disclosed that the fund embarked on advocacy lectures across the state with a view to stimulating the interest of youths towards self-reliance and not to over depend on white collar jobs.
He disclosed that the fund will on Wednesday conduct such advocacy lecture for 100 youths at the Sandaji Guest Chalet on entrepreneurial skills acquisition for self-reliance.
While noting that ITF derived its source of revenue from the one percent deduction from staff emolument of the revenue generating institutions in the private and public sectors, Hassan solicited the support of the governor towards ensuring that Nasarawa State remitted its deductions to the fund.
He also solicited for the ITF to be part of the development of the state’s manpower, especially when Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) patronise the training programmes of the fund.
“We feel that from the first day in office, your first task was to give out start-up packs for self-reliance. We feel we should key into your vision and mission. It’s like what we are doing, by your coming, you have gingered us do more, that this is the direction,” Malam Hassan said.
