Th e federal government is working out modalities for sound technical education that will contribute m e a n i n g f u l l y t o a d y n a m i c construction industry in the country. Th e Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated this at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, recently in Abuja.
Fashola also said the government wants to collaborate with all stakeholders in the construction industry and the National Assembly to fashion out the modalities as well as build interest for the implementation of the plan. Th e minister, who explained how vocational and technical education had significantly contributed to the development of Singapore, Canada and South Africa, amongst others, said Nigeria must shape its educational system to facilitate the growth of the economy.
He assured that the present administration has already worked out plans on how to engage thousands of artisans and technicians, particularly through the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, to fix roads across the country. “We, therefore, conclude that technical education systems are dynamic, the challenges are, of course, unique because human needs vary with time. We have to shape our educational system based on our economy. “Our system must therefore be relevant and responsive.
We must plan for the future and not the past,” the minister said adding that the government is investing in infrastructure. Th e minister said government has designed the plan to account for the thirty per cent earmarked for capital allocation in the entire 2016 budget.
“In the 2016 national budget, capital allocation alone was N1.8 trillion, which is a jump to 30 per cent of the total budget. “We are currently planning for all these infrastructure that we are building…the idea is to actually change FERMA (Federal Road Maintenance Agency), which is to review the FERMA law and come up with another law. “The essence is that FERMA should ultimately be the biggest construction company in this country. Th e idea is to employ about 47,000 people just to fi x roads and the plan is there,” he submitted.
