BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

NIGERIA Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, and International Labour Organisation , ILO’s Certified Masters Trainers  have  called on the Federal Government to take necessary action against the activities of ILO and the United Nations Development Programmes, UNDP  for preferring  expatriates from South Africa and Zimbabwe rather than Nigerian certified ILO Master Trainers to train young farmers in Ekiti state.

NECA and ILO certified masters trainers, at a briefing,    said it was against international best practice for the ILO and UNDP to give preference ILO Certified Master Trainers from South Africa and Zimbabwe rather than Nigerian certified ILO Master Trainers, who have same competence and qualifications as their foreign counterparts, in their support for the Ekiti State Government’s project on International Enterprise Development Training for Young Farmers in Ekiti State.

Speaking, Director-General of NECA, Mr. Segun Osinowo  contended that the action of the ILO and UNDP was  a deliberate attempt to undermine the development of Nigerians, and called on Government to protect the sovereignty of Nigeria by addressing the anti-Nigerians activities of international agencies

He said “The ILO in 2005 collaborated with NECA on training Maters Trainers on enterprise, microfinance and local development programs through which Certified Master Trainers (CMT), Certified Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) trainers and other trainers en-route certification track have been produced to promote entrepreneurship programmes in Nigeria.

While lots of graduates flood the labour market with several competences but are faced with job scarcity, the ILO and UNDP went against international best practice by preferring foreign Consultants so as to move abroad donor funds and Nigeria resources, since the Ekiti Government is providing counterpart funding, through employment of these foreign consultants, which in most cases are more expensive than Nigerians.