The Nigerian Institute of Training and Development, NITAD, has called for urgent investment in the training, retention and continuous development of Nigerian professionals to build a self-replenishing workforce capable of driving the country’s economic transformation.
The institute warned that the migration of skilled professionals, popularly known as the “Japa syndrome”, rapid technological changes and shifting economic realities had made it imperative for Nigeria to rethink its approach to human capital development.
The National President and Chairman of NITAD, Mr Bulus James, made the call yesterday in Jos at the institute’s 33rd annual conference, with the theme: “Talent Sovereignty: Engineering the Self-Replenishing Workforce for Nigerian Rebirth.”
James said the theme was not merely a conference topic but a strategic blueprint for national development, stressing that a nation’s independence, economic stability and global competitiveness depended largely on its ability to develop, retain, control and continuously renew its human capital.
He said NITAD was established to provide a professional home for human resource development practitioners and create a platform for transforming training from an ad hoc administrative function into a strategic imperative for organisations and the nation.
According to him, Nigeria must take ownership of its talent development pipeline by strengthening training, mentorship, succession planning and professional development across institutions.
He said: “The future of our nation depends on our ability to deliberately grow, retain and deploy homegrown talent across all sectors.”
James noted that the three-day conference was designed to be interactive and insightful, providing participants with practical strategies that they could take back to their respective organisations to improve talent development.
He said the country’s workforce could not be sustained if organisations failed to deliberately prepare younger professionals to take over from experienced personnel who retire, resign or migrate.
The NITAD president said the combination of skilled migration, rapid technological advancement and economic changes required a fundamental shift in the way organisations and governments managed human capital.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, Dr Salas Ali Agara, represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr Edmund Onwuliri, said Nigeria’s youthful population represented both an opportunity and a challenge.
Onwuliri said about 60 per cent of the country’s population comprised people below the age of 35, stressing that how the demographic advantage was managed would significantly determine Nigeria’s development trajectory.
He said: “This is a blessing and at the same time a burden. A burden in the sense that if we do not manage these demographics very well, we are going to have problems.
“But how well we manage it will go a long way in defining and shaping our national journey and national development.”
He urged stakeholders to develop policies and programmes that would equip young Nigerians with relevant skills and create opportunities for them to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Samuel Jatau, commended NITAD for placing human capital development at the centre of its annual conference.
Mutfwang stressed the need for stronger collaboration between government, professional bodies, training institutions and the private sector to bridge existing skills gaps.
He said the state government was willing to collaborate with relevant institutions to strengthen workforce development and create platforms capable of equipping residents with skills required in the modern economy.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, said Nigerians who travelled abroad in search of better opportunities should do so with internationally recognised skills and certifications.
Ogun said the objective should not be to discourage Nigerians from seeking opportunities abroad, but to ensure that those leaving the country were adequately skilled to compete globally and contribute to Nigeria’s economy through remittances and knowledge transfer..
“We want them with Japa with good name. Japa with international certification and local certification. Japa with readiness to work. Japa that will bring in the dollars home,” he said.
He noted that skilled Nigerians working abroad could become a source of foreign exchange and expertise for the country if properly trained and certified.
Ogun urged government and relevant institutions to intensify investment in vocational, technical and professional training to ensure that Nigerian workers could compete favourably in the international labour market.
Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the Emir of Wase, the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, the Learning and Development Network International and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of Plateau State.
The conference brought together government officials, human resource development professionals, representatives of the ITF, NTA, traditional institutions and other stakeholders from across the country.