Fides Media Living the Faith
By Chioma Ndife
The manager of All Saints Technical College (ASTECH), Awgbu, Rev. Fr. Innocent Nwafor has described Technical Education as the only tool to address youth unemployment in Nigeria and called on people to develop interest in the area.
He made the call on Saturday, March 16, 2019 during the 2019 exhibition of ASTECH and noted that it was important for people to invest their financial resources in Technical Education in a bid to help young people discover their talents which would be used to impact positively on society. He maintained that many youths in Nigeria today are restive due to their jobless situation, saying that most of them don’t know what they can invent because they lack the technical know-how.
Fr. Nwafor who facilitated the take-off of the Technical College, Awgbu said he was motivated to do so due to the inclination he has for Technical Education having attended one during his days. He explained that the essence of beginning the technical college was to assist many young talented people to discover their skills and harness such skills into doing things that would be useful to society.
He expressed optimism that adequate funding of the All Saints Technical College, Awgbu and other technical colleges in other places would help in reawaking the creative minds and consciousness of people who have such talents. He noted that when people’s interests are reawakened, then Nigeria would attain the height which China has reached within a short period of time.
Fr. Nwafor who is the Parish Priest of St. All Saints Catholic Church, Awgbu regretted that lack of funds had prevented the students of the college from obtaining necessary materials used in other countries of the world for the production of such simple gargets. He explained that such had limited the students and compelled them to use cartons which were easily obtainable.
He further disclosed that lack of accommodation had prevented the school from taking many people who wish to enroll in the college and expressed optimism that the school if funded by public spirited individuals or government would move to its permanent site having obtained land from Awgbu Community.