ByPrincess-Ekwi Abide, Abuja
The federal government of Nigeria is making efforts to ensure that welding is maintained in the school curriculum particularly in technical schools as it will lead to the overall development and sustainability of the welding industry.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Adeleke Mamora, stated this when the president of the Nigerian Institute of Welding, Solomon Edebiri paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.
Dr. Mamora, opined that if properly developed, managed and sustained the welding industry will create jobs for teeming unemployed Nigerian youths and also encourage mass production and growth of the steel industry in the Country.
The Minister, warned that no meaningful achievement will be made if there is no synergy or effective application of the principle of 5Cs of Cooperation, Communication, Coordination, Cordiality and Collaboration so as to lift the country to greater heights.
Earlier in his speech, the Minister of State, Chief Ikechukwu Ikoh, noted that to achieve rapid industrialisation, Nigerians must be trained in the skill of welding in order to avoid employing professionals from abroad.
He said that indigenous welders must be encouraged to be thorough in their work so as to be internationally competitive.
On his part, the president of the institute, Dr Solomon Edebiri, said that his institute and the Ministry have collaborated on many fronts, including the drafting and establishment of the National Institute of Welding.
He informed the Minister about the establishment of a National capacity and capability development plan for welding and related skills.