Abuja: Nigerian artisans and technicians, under the platform of the Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT), have expressed their appreciation for the Federal Government’s Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) programme. This initiative, aimed at enhancing the skills and productivity of artisans, has received significant commendation for its impact.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the SUPA programme, managed by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), is designed to empower 10 million Nigerian artisans. The initiative seeks to up-skill, license, and provide artisans with access to toolkits while promoting industry standards. Mr. Adeshina Akinyemi, National Coordinator of ASNAT, highlighted these achievements during a press conference in Abuja, emphasizing the programme’s contribution to economic growth and the importance of continued support from the government.
The programme has been credited with enabling members to scale up and contribute to economic growth, with Akinyemi commending President Bola Ti
nubu for initiating the programme and Dr. Oluwatoyin Ogun’s leadership in its execution. He also urged the government to focus on implementing programmes aligned with its Renewed Hope agenda, while affirming ASNAT’s commitment to collaborating with the ITF for the growth and development of artisans in Nigeria.
Akinyemi criticized negative assessments of the SUPA programme by certain groups, labeling them as unfounded and urging the public and government officials to focus on the programme’s successes. He called for immediate action against those attempting to undermine the ITF’s efforts.
Mrs. Jaiyeola Olatunji, ASNAT Lady President, announced that 100,000 artisans have already been trained, with future training phases set to commence shortly. Mr. Bari Moses, National Secretary of ASNAT, stressed the programme’s role in equipping artisans to meet international standards, highlighting the direct benefits experienced by participants.
Mr. Mohammed Oshioke, a member of the National Automobile Technicians Associ
ation (NATA), FCT chapter, appealed for governmental support in providing start-up funds to artisans post-training, emphasizing the need for financial empowerment to complement the skills acquired.
