A non-governmental orgnaization, Budget Tracking and monitoring, has condemned what described as an alleged sponsored publication and protest against the Director General of the Industrial Training Funds, ITF, Joe Ari.
The group explained in a press statement made available to National Assembly Correspondents, signed by Mohammed Abdulrahaman, in Abuja, on Friday.
They said, “As a registered non-governmental organization, Budget monitoring and accountability, which activities and mandate to ensure the rights of citizens, budget tracking and constituency projects across the 15 countries, in the west African Continent, our attentions has been drawn to the allegations of an alleged illicit transactions against the Director General of the Industrial Training Fund, ITF by a self-styled Concerned Citizens for Change, Accountability and Probity, and the Joint Civil Society Task Force on anti-corruption The protesters demanded the sack of the ITF’s director, saying this would make good the promises of the government to rid the country of corruption.
“As a non-governmental organization, Budget Tracking and Monitoring , for the purpose of clarity does not engage in defence of individual, groups or institutions, but rather monitoring and tracking of budgetary allocations and utilizations of same.
“Our reactions is coming on the heel of the story credited to an online publications, alleging “illicit transactions in ITF
“For the purpose of clarity, the Budget tracking and monitoring groups for the past one week has been part of the 2021, 2022, Budget Defence in the National Assembly, both at the Senate and the House of Representatives, including the review of the performance of the budgetary allocations to the Industrial Training Fund, ITF.
“The report by the online publication, Saharareporters, apart from the fact that is an indictment and a challenge to our organization and the over 200 Journalists who cover both the Senate and the House of Representatives, as it will appears, only Sahara reporters was at the event, is full of fallacy of inconsistency, false equivalence and logic flaw reasoning.
“It is suggestive of the fact that every other persons including the lawmakers in the National Assembly, have abdicated their constitutional responsibility to the Civil societies and SaharaReporters, as the House Committee rather than stepping down the review would applaud the the DG, Joe Ari, and his management in the handling of the ITF.
“It is regrettable that a group, a Civil Society they claimed they are throughout their protest and petition, could not substantiate their allegations with facts and figures, but rather present themselves as sponsored group to make a dog breakfast of the achievements of the DG, Joe Ari , as the Lawmakers attested to.
For instance the Eagle eyes Lawmakers throughout the review could not detect any financial infractions in ITF.
“Suffice to mention our observations at what transpired at the event
“As a way of tackling the rising wave of unemployment among youth in Nigeria, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is setting up skills acquisition centres for them across the states of the federation.
“This is as members of the Senate Commitee on Industry, made subtle lobby for such centres to be sited in their respective senatorial zones .
“Setting up of the centres by ITF, came to the fore during budget defence session the agency had with the Senate Committee on Industry on Tuesday.
“In his presentation before the committee, the Director General of ITF, Joseph Ari, said the centres are being created to tackle the problem of unemployment in the country particularly among the youths.
From the centres, thousands of youths he added, will be equipped with required innovative skills that will take them off the streets and make them self employed.
“Setting up of the Industrial Skill Training Centres, is central to the core mandate of ITF, the very reason the agency is very resolute and passionate in putting them in place across the states of the federation,” he said.
“Apparently impressed with the move of ITF, some members of the committee like Senators Jibrin Isa (APC Kogi East ), Christopher Ekpeyong (PDP Akwa Ibom North West), Danjumah La’ah ( PDP Kaduna Central) and Muhammad Adamu Bulkachuwa (APC Bauchi North), asked him about locations of the centres in their states.
“Senator Jibrin Isa in particular, complained to the DG that records before him show Kogi West and Central as locations of such centres and not Kogi East .
“But the ITF DG in his response said locations of the centres across the states are devoid of political affiliation of people in the states or Senatorial zones”, the NGO said.