- ITF DG Dr. Afiz Ogun commends Rep. Wale Raji and calls on other lawmakers to support youth training with equipped facilities.
- Agbowa Vocational Center, facilitated by Rep. Raji, to be activated under Tinubu’s SUPA initiative.
- ITF announces shift to sustainable skill incubation, job placement, and industrial linkage for youth trainees.
The Director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, has called on members of the National Assembly, government agencies, and well-meaning Nigerians to emulate Rep. Wale Raji by donating well-equipped training facilities to the ITF, to strengthen national productivity and youth empowerment across Nigeria.
Ekohotblog reports that Dr. Ogun made the appeal on Monday during an official assessment tour of the Agbowa Vocational Center in Ikosi-Ejinrin LCDA, Lagos State.
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The facility, facilitated by Rep. Raji who represents Epe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, is set to be handed over to the ITF following a preliminary agreement reached during the visit.
Visibly impressed by the quality of the structure, Dr. Ogun described the Agbowa center as a “model building” and praised Rep. Raji for supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through the Skill-Up Artisans (SUPA) initiative.
“We’ve been searching for centers like this across the country for the past year and a half,” Dr. Ogun said. “When Rep. Wale Raji discussed this with me last week in Abuja, I was excited. And now that I’ve seen it, I can say it’s fantastic.
This facility is well-equipped, purpose-built, and perfectly suited for training our teeming youths. It’s exactly what we need for the work we’re doing under SUPA.”
He emphasized the importance of decentralizing access to technical and vocational training, noting that the Agbowa facility would eliminate the barriers of distance and cost for young people in rural and semi-urban areas.
“The presence of this center right within the community will ease the burden on young people seeking to upskill. We are grateful to Rep. Wale Raji, and we use this opportunity to call on other members of the Senate and House of Representatives to replicate this gesture.
Our mandate is to train citizens for industrial growth, and this type of support makes it easier to fulfill that mission,” he said.
The Agbowa center will serve as a strategic hub for the Skill-Up Artisans (SUPA) initiative — a flagship program of the Tinubu administration — aimed at training and retraining millions of Nigerian artisans to meet international standards and boost self-reliance and productivity.
Reflecting on ITF’s renewed approach to training, Dr. Ogun explained that the agency was shifting from mere skill acquisition to full business incubation and workforce integration.
“ITF has existed since 1971. Over the years, we’ve trained people and given them startup packs, but many ended up selling them off. That wasn’t sustainable. Now, we’re focusing on real business incubation.
We want to empower beneficiaries beyond training, get them jobs, connect them with industries, and even send some abroad.
After all, these companies fund ITF through their contributions, it’s only right they also absorb the talents we produce.”
He confirmed that minor repairs and final adjustments would begin immediately, with formal training activities to commence soon.
“This is not just a building. It is a beacon of hope. And we’ll keep searching, mobilizing, and partnering until every willing Nigerian youth is empowered.”
