Better Life For Artisans In Lagos

For decades, artisans such as bricklayers in the building industry have been  neglected. They live in squalor despite the fact they undergo training in various  skills acquisition centres spread across the Lagos metropolis.

This group, though in the informal sector, contributes significantly to the growth  of the economy as professional builders cannot do without them, yet they are not  really recognised, hence most of them are downtrodden.

In most cases, artisans from Japan, China and India, among others, have taken over  their jobs in most companies in Lagos State. This is because the construction  companies feel that foreign artisans are more experienced and should be allowed to  man key informal sector projects. The result is that thousands of youths, who  obtained training as bricklayers are thrown into the unemployment market.

Chief Ige Taiwo, President, Lagos State Bricklayers Association lamented that  members of the association were normally used in training artisans from China and  others, adding that after training them, the same foreign artisans are made to lord  over them.

“The Chinese have taken over everything. Government should help us. Let us have our  own people get  jobs,” he said.

First State Secretary, Lagos State Bricklayers Association, Mr. Fatai Ahmed, stated  that people should know that the building engineers cannot do without them, adding  that government should come to their aid and deliver them from squalor as things had  become so bad.

According to him, contracts are being given to foreign artisans by government while  local ones are neglected, even when the locals have the necessary skills to do the  job better.

It was in a bid to address this situation that Shelter Watch Initiative, a  non-government organisation, NGO, partnered with the Lagos State Ministry of Women  Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, to inaugurate the Building Artisan  Empowerment Committee.

The committee has the primary responsibility of raising a new crop of builders that  can favourably compete with other artisans across the globe. It is expected that the  committee will explore the limitless opportunities in the sector.

Mr. Segun Olutade, Executive Director, Shelter Watch Initiative disclosed that  figures obtained from its five years free employment programmes nationwide revealed  that over 600,000 employment opportunities were available in the built environment.

“Apart from Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt where there are over 20,000 job  opportunities begging for the attention of skilled youths, employment opportunities  in other states is put at 18,000.

“With a comprehensive module from the Nigerian Institute of Building, artisans with  primary six leaving certificates who have worked for at least five years can now sit  for three months certificate course in accredited institutions of higher learning  offering courses in building technology,” he said.

“It had been accepted globally that government cannot do it alone. Considering the  enormous problem confronting the building sector and the importance of the group  involved, manufacturers of building materials in particular and spirited individuals  in general must be approached.

“It is disheartening to see youths from China, India and other neighbouring  countries taking advantage of our various uncoordinated empowerment programmes. They  come to Nigeria to take up jobs that Nigerian artisans can do, while our trained  artisans remain jobless. We have commenced a nationwide rally against this,” Olutade  added.

According to him, successive government in the country have only succeeded in  increasing the unemployment figure by pushing out youths that are not empowered  enough to face the challenges of their various trades, adding that sandwich  programmes put together in the name of empowerment had failed because the basic  ingredients of successful empowerment programmes were totally absent from planning  to the implementation stage.

“Billions of naira have gone down the drain in the name of empowerment programmes  which have little or no respect for the dire need of the people. Failures of our  economic planners to consult with professionals and practising artisans revealed  itself in the unbridled duration of the various empowerment programmes which varies  from one empowerment agency to the other and from one state to another.

“The above has been responsible for the production of half-baked artisans who are  not fit to confront challenges in their various trades. They often sell off the free  equipment provided by the empowerment agencies only to queue up again,” he stated.

Urging the committee to address this issue, Olutade said it was also unfortunate  that governmentâ€s empowerment programmes did not provide room for evaluation,  stressing that while the over 22 years old National Directorate of Employment, with  offices in every state of the federation, could not present Nigeria with verifiable  records of beneficiaries across the country, the National Poverty Eradication  programmeâ€s claim of empowering 100,000 youths was more of paper than reality.

He said lack of an appreciable springboard to launch the trained youths into the  market and ensconce them into the system had frustrated some of them out of the  learned trade.

“We are not unaware of the relentless efforts of the Lagos State government to  ensure proper training of our artisans; it is our belief that this committee will  adequately complement the efforts of the state.   I have no doubt that if adequate  support is given to the committee, artisans in the state will not only be better  trained, funds earmarked for such projects will be better utilized for more  developmental projects,” he stated.

WAPA Commissioner, Mrs. Joke Orelope-Adefulire said that the building artisan  committee was strategically designed as part of the agenda of the state government  to transform the informal sector as members of the committee were drawn from  relevant professional bodies as well as government ministries and agencies.

“In the present Lagos, it is difficult to ignore the sector as it has become a  veritable source of wealth creation and employment for many residents. The transport  operators, vulcanizers, mechanics, battery chargers, fashion designers, bricklayers  among others have become an integral part of our daily life that even the formal  sector cannot do without them.

“Hence, any government that refuses to recognise the potential and services of the  sector as a catalyst for growth and development in the emerging social economic  order does so at its own peril,” she said.

She lamented the spate of incessant collapse of buildings and the incursion of  foreign artisans into the building industry, while the nationâ€s teeming youths roam  the streets. She pointed out that joblessness had become worrisome.

“The central key of the project is to build the capacity of the skilled youths in  environmental improvement, human settlement development and issues relating to  improved shelter development,”

Orelope-Adefulire charged the committee to take the assignment with seriousness and  the urgency it deserves, adding that the committeeâ€s effort would definitely help to  sanitise the building industry.

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