By Saidu Idris
The Managing Director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Dr. Lars Richter, on Friday December 4, 2020, said, it is a “celebratory pride” for the construction giant to participate in the great initiative to build and host the pioneer Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) artisanal skills development academy in Abuja.
According to Richter, the Academy building, when completed, will house two “Carpentry training workshops of 348 m2 each; two Masonry training workshops of 348 m2 each; one Plumbing training workshop of 348 m2; one Welding training workshop of 348 m2; and ancillary facilities, such as offices, kitchen, first aid area and canteen.
The Managing Director said it was a great pleasure for him to be to be at the ground-breaking ceremony of the FOCI-JBN Skills Academy located at Julius Berger’s ONEX yard, where Julius Berger has commenced construction works for the academy’s school building.”
Tracing the history of the academy, Dr. Richter said the idea has been in the making for several years. “The journey has been a long but fruitful one… and today, we mark the transformation of the idea – of an artisan academy to develop adequately skilled construction tradesmen and women – into reality via an academy building soon to house a world class dual vocational apprenticeship training program.
“The academy’s goals are noble. The aim is to shore up the skills of the men and women of our industry in the areas of masonry, plumbing and carpentry. To provide well-designed programs of study in collaboration with expert partners, such as GIZ, and ultimately to improve the standards by which the entire industry is able to deliver works to our various clients”.
Richter who is noted to have established an uncommon managerial reputation in the industry for seeking all feasible and productive means to work and preserve the jobs, careers and means of livelihood of workers even in the face of the novel challenges and existential threat the construction industry encountered since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, said that the FOCI-JBN Academy will not only improve the construction industry in Nigeria, it will also help “to advance the livelihood of those individuals working across various trades, advancing their skills and confidence for the benefit of their long-term careers”.
He, on behalf of Julius Berger and member companies, thanked the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) for its continuous efforts to bring together the construction industry and champion the causes most important to the sector. FOCI’s efforts, he said, continues to give justification for member companies’ “investment in supporting the sustainable development of Nigeria’s construction industry”.
With an optimistic forecast into a successful implementation of the FOCI-JBN Skills Academy Abuja, Richter hit a high note, saying: “We look forward to seeing the academy in full swing; and to coming together again, to celebrate the first graduating class of the Academy”.
The Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Babatude Raji Fashola, SAN, who was ably represented by the Minister of State in the Ministry, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, FNSE, stated that President Mohammadu Buhari aims for government to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by the year 2030, adding that the inauguration of a National Skills Development Council chaired by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, GCON, is meant to actualize that goal. He also said that the President Buhari administration places a great premium on every initiative aimed at raising construction experts and skilled artisans to meet the skills development goals of the government. To that extent, the Hon. Minister applauded Julius Berger for providing the Workshops and Equipment for the FOCI-JBN Skills Academy.
Also speaking at the event, the President of FOCI, Engr. Nasiru Dantata, who proudly announced to the gathering that he started his engineering practice with his stint as a member of the National Youth Service Corps at Julius Berger, called on the Government and all other stakeholders to support the strategic and visionary Skills Academy..
Other speakers at the event included the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment who was ably represented by his Special Adviser, Technical, Mrs Chinedu Dike; the Hon. Minister of Education well represented by the erudite Dr. Kudirat Ibiyemi Oladipo; and the Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Germany, Helmut Kulitz.
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB); and the Press were also in attendance at the event. The National Union of Civil Engineering Construction, Furniture & Wood Workers (NUCECFWW) was also present at the event. The Sequa GIZ team was ably led to the ceremony by its Team Leader, Felix Nitz.
The Director-General of FOCI, Engr. Mrs Olubunmi O. Adekoje said the Academy aspires to offer new hope and better opportunities to Nigerian youths beyond just paper certifications.