Artisans and technicians across the country, under the platform of the Association of Nigerian Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT), have condemned attacks on the Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) programme being implemented by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) under the leadership of its Director-General, Dr. Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun.

The artisans and technicians said it is wrong for the former Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund and his cohorts, under the platform of Concerned Citizens Advocates for Institutional Accountability, to describe the Skill Up Artisans Programme as a fraud.

Speaking in a statement on Tuesday on the activities and appraisals of the Skill Up Artisans Programme implemented by the ITF, the National Coordinator of ASNAT, Mr. Adeshina Akinyemi, said the programme had helped members scale up and add value to economic growth.

Akinyemi, who warned those who are spreading misinformation about the programme to desist, noted that the SUPA programme has made significant impact on Nigerian artisans and technicians by enabling them to improve their skills and productivity.

He said: “Having appraised the activities of the Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) Programme and its positive impact on all Nigerian artisans and technicians, we, therefore, pass a vote of confidence on the programme and score the executorial agency, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), A1 in the implementation and operations of SUPA.

“After carefully considering the positive impact of the SUPA Programme on Nigerian artisans and technicians, we find it very hard to believe that some enemies of the progress of the present government in Nigeria, headed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will label SUPA a monumental fraud and tag the tireless, indefatigable, diligent, hard-working, and industrious Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun, a deficient manager and a corrupt individual.

“This claim, by a faceless group called Concerned Citizens Advocates for Institutional Accountability, is not only false but also malicious and blackmail. It has been investigated, established, and confirmed that the group – Concerned Citizens Advocates for Institutional Accountability – is acting as a proxy for a former Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund who is still bitter that he cannot control or teleguide the present Director-General.

“We urge the general public, the National Assembly, and the President to disregard this faceless group and its publication and focus on the numerous achievements and successes of the ITF under Dr. Ogun’s leadership. We also call on the President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to, as a matter of urgency, call to order or caution those angry minds who are disturbing and distracting the Director-General of ITF.”

Akinyemi also commended President Bola Tinubu for designing the SUPA programme and also praised the present leadership of ITF led by Dr. Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun for implementing the Skill Up Artisans Programme.

He said the SUPA Programme is a vital initiative that has enhanced the skills and productivity of Nigerian artisans and therefore enjoined the government to focus on implementing programmes that would help the administration achieve its Renewed Hope agenda.

The National Coordinator said ASNAT will continue to collaborate with the ITF to promote the growth and development of artisans and technicians in Nigeria.

The Nigerian artisans and technicians also called on all stakeholders to join hands with the ITF and the Federal Government to move the nation forward.

Also speaking, ASNAT Lady President, Mrs. Jaiyeola Olatunji, explained that 100,000 artisans have been trained and the next phase of training of artisans would be rolled out by next week.

The National Secretary of ASNAT, Mr. Bari Moses, disclosed that the purpose of the SUPA Programme is to equip Nigerian artisans to its equivalent in their foreign countries.

“Since the inception and introduction of the SUPA Programme, there are so many issues that some people felt they were so bitter about and not happy about it. We as artisans are the direct beneficiaries of this programme, and it is important that we come out to state clearly that it was for our own benefit and we benefited from it,” he said.

Also speaking, the representative of the President of the National Automobile Technicians Association (NATA), FCT chapter, Mr. Mohammed Oshioke, appealed to the government to empower artisans and technicians with funds for a start-up after training to encourage them.