Gambo Jagindi 
Engineer Abdullahi Sule
Only vibrant civil service will ensure vibrant economy, says Engineer Sule
By Ali Bare
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule has underscored the significance of training civil servants in the state, stressing that only a vibrant civil service will ensure a vibrant economy.
Engineer Sule stated this while playing host to a delegation from the Lafia zonal office of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), at the Government House, on Tuesday.
The Governor restated the commitment of his administration to training, adding that from the civil service he has seen so far, if there is anything the state needs immediately, it’s training.
“This administration takes the area of training very seriously, we believe that the only way we can have a very vibrant economy in the state, is where we have a very vibrant civil service.
“If the civil service is ineffective and inefficient, it’s going to be very difficult for us to able to achieve must of the things we are doing,” Engineer Sule stated.
The Governor said Nasarawa State need to have a civil service that is ICT compliant, computer literate and in tune with what is happening in the global economy.
“If you have a civil service that is still thinking 1960s, 70s then we are not going to be able to move as fast as we can. We continue to drag,” he observed.
Engineer Sule further informed the ITF delegation that the state equally needs training in different areas, especially vocational and technical education, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and especially on Information Communication Technology (ICT), among others.
He took the opportunity to update the delegation on some key initiatives aimed at empowering women and youths in the state towards self-reliance, especially ongoing construction of the skills acquisition centre close to the polytechnic, as well as the already commissioned incubation centre in Makurdi road.
While promising to partner with the fund, the Governor however expressed surprise that the state is not remitting its mandatory one percent deduction, saying he will look into the matter.
Engineer Sule then directed the ITF officials to liaise with the Secretary to the State Government, as well as the Head of the State Civil Service, with a view to finding modalities on how the state will key into the training programmes of the fund.
Earlier, Manager, Lafia Area Office of the ITF, Mallam 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 organization in the country.
The area manager further disclosed that the fund embarks 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 the ITF drives its source of revenue from the one percent deduction from staff emolument of the revenue generating institutions in the private and public sector, Hassan solicited the support of the Governor towards ensuring that Nasarawa State remits its deductions to the fund.
He equally solicited for the ITF to be part of the development of the state’s manpower, especially when Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) patronize 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 jingered us more, that this is the direction,” Mallam Hassan said.
