TechOpinion I Nigeria's SIWES On the Decline

NIGERIA’S SIWES ON THE DECLINE

        

The Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) – a skill acquisition programme designed to expose and prepare students of universities, polytechnics, monotechnics, as well as colleges of education for the industrial work situation they are likely to encounter after graduation – has been on the decline for decades now that it is liable to go into extinction in no distant time if drastic measure is not taken towards addressing the lingering anomaly.

       

SIWES was initiated to be a planned and supervised training programme based on specific learning and career objectives, and geared toward developing the occupational competencies of the participants. It is generic, cutting across over 60 programmes in the universities, over 40 in the polytechnics/monotechnics, and about 10 in the colleges of education. Hence, it is not meant for a particular course of study or discipline. Since inception, it is being reckoned to be an innovative phenomenon in human resources development in Nigeria.

        

While some institutions and disciplines permit SIWES’ duration for only three to six months, others go for up to one year. The programme, which permits the affected students to seek for Industrial Training (IT) or Teaching Practice (TP), as the case may be, in any establishment of their choice, has ab initio been a cause of concern to education and economic planners, particularly with respect to graduate employment and impact on the general societal development. There are equally mixed feelings concerning how much of it that is actually helpful to students’ academic performance and job readiness after graduation.

        

Whatever positive impact the SIWES has thus far created on the students’ well-being and the society at large, the truth is that the primary purpose for which the programme was established has recently been relegated to the background. The prevalence of the inability of SIWES’ participants to secure employment after the pragramme, or even perform adequately if eventually employed, casts doubt on the continuing relevance of the programme to the contemporary industrial development drive in the Nigerian society. This obvious lapse isn’t unconnected with negligence and/or apathy on the part of the trainees, trainers, concerned institutions, and the government.

        

It’s noteworthy that most of these students dodge the programme. They prefer indulging in activities that would fetch them money to going for the technical knowledge. To this set of individuals, partaking in the industrial programme is simply a waste of time and energy. In view of this misconception, when the programme is meant to take place, you would see them participating in all sorts of inconsequential menial jobs, or even gambling and what have you, just for the aim of raising some cash. This growing mentality of placing money before knowledge has contributed immensely in endangering the prospect of the laudable programme.

        

Those who bring out time to participate in the programme, are prone to one challenge or the other. It’s worth noting that greater percentage of the trainees is not paid by the establishments in which they are serving, not even stipend. Hence, they would end up making use of their personal funds to service their transportation and accommodation fees. It’s more worrisome to realize that most of these trainees are overused by the firms; rather than teaching them the needful, the supposed trainers would engage them in unnecessary activities, thereby making them lose interest in the training.

          

Worse still, most of the concernment institutions don’t cough up time to supervise the students in their respective places of assignment. Ridiculously, in most cases, the schools would remain ignorant of where the students are undergoing the training till the duration of the programme is over. This very loophole has over the years served as an advantage to those who never participated in the programme. In this case, during the SIWES defence, the affected student would claim to have undergone the training in any establishment of his/her choice, and the supposed supervisor would never bother to ascertain the truth.

        

Inter alia, funding of the SIWES hasn’t been encouraging in recent times. The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) – a body responsible in the day-to-day funding of the programme – currently appears incapacitated, perhaps owing to lack of adequate allocation from the government and other financiers. Sometimes, the students would be deprived of the statutory allowance they are entitled to after the programme. Those whom were lucky to receive theirs had to wait for a long time.

       

The SIWES is obviously yearning for resuscitation. The present state of moribund experienced by the scheme can only be properly addressed by revisiting the Acts that bind the programme. Such step would enable every authority involved to start seeing the initiative as a priority towards the anticipated economic diversification. The said Act should categorically specify what is expected of the trainee, trainer, school, as well as the government as regards the sustenance of the scheme. Similarly, there’s need for a relevant law enforcement agency that would penalize or prosecute any defaulter.

       

It’s indeed high time we revived this technical-oriented initiative whose motive truly means well for nation building. This can only be actualized by changing all the flat tyres that have succeeded in crippling the journey. Think about it!

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Social Media: The Pros and Cons

SOCIAL MEDIA: THE PROS AND CONS

         

In recent times, social media have seemingly dominated the information world. It is obviously distinct from other existing media networks in various ways. It operates in a dialogic transmission mode – many sources to many receivers – in contrast to print and electronic media that operate under a monologic transmission mode, one source to many receivers. It can simultaneously connect as many sources and receivers as possible.

       

 There are numerous other positive roles of social media networking in nation building. Though it’s a relatively new advancement in technology, it has made the world seem like just a minute clan owing to its ability to simultaneously connect millions of people from different localities across the globe, as well as spread news within a shortest time frame. Hence, it makes information go viral that it could be access from any locality. It enables one to reconnect with his/her old time friend or schoolmate. In addition, it helps people to stay connected to each other.

       

Social networking is a great way to meet entirely new people. One can discover individuals or groups that are into his social/business interests. Online dating is currently more common than the traditional pattern of dating, and many happily married couples today met online. On the other hand, social media is, at the moment, the fastest and easiest way to promote goods and services; and it gives such products a different dazzling look, thereby encouraging the audience to patronize them. Entertainers these days don’t need to be on TV/radio before they could be heard; they can globally market their brands online with ease.

       

The social media equally helps to catch and convict criminals. People are usually ignorant of the consequences of what they post online. Often times they post pictures or videos of themselves doing illicit things. They also place bragging posts regarding various crimes they have committed. The law enforcement agencies invariably visit these sites towards fishing out the bad eggs, as well as to trace a suspected culprit. The sites also assist the agencies while prosecuting any suspect in their custody.

        

However, it’s imperative to note that there are equally negative impacts of social media on mankind and the society at large. There are several falsehoods on various social media platforms; such information or propaganda can stir up panic and severe misinformation in the affected area. Though it helps to start new relationships, it had on the contrary succeeded in ruining or terminating various other existing relationships. The ability to easily share people’s privacy, such as nude pictures and videos, on social sites has constituted several nuisances in people’s real life. It suffices to say that it puts trust to a limit.

        

Cyber bullying is not left out. Having access to people’s lives at all times is not encouraging, because such avenue helps many online fraudsters to lure their potential victims into their net. Sometime in 2012, one Miss Cynthia Osokogu was cajoled to a hotel room via social media; at the said venue, she was brutally gang raped and therein murdered by the fraudsters. People are equally duped through social networking under the guise of ‘buying and selling’. The fact that you are not seeing who you are conversing with is enough reason to worry.

        

Prospective employers use the social media to scrutinize, and discriminate their intending employees. They would delve into the profile of the jobseeker, and by so doing they would acquire all the needed private information about him/her. Employers always use this mechanism to their advantage, and in most cases to the detriment of the applicant. Among all, one of the greatest plights attached to the social media remains that people are fast becoming addicted to it. This kind of craze causes a lot of distractions for people in their respective fields of endeavour.

        

Most people while conveying messages on social media prefer using symbols, smileys, abbreviations, and what have you, to writing words in full.  Hacking is another worrisome factor that can’t be overlooked while discussing the social media. Internet hackers can intercept your account under a certain guise or by gaining access to your password. Considering that most users of the social media aren’t professionals indicates that people are liable to constantly fall victim.

        

It would be ideal to regulate the day-to-day usage of the social media with a view to sustaining decency and legality. All stakeholders to include families, communities, schools, and religious bodies are required in implementing the proposed regulation. Aside legislation, the leaders of the stakeholders can institute a law binding the users of social media within their respective jurisdictions. The parents/guardians, for instance, can determine when and where cell phones should be used by their wards. Self-control would equally help to avoid several misfortunes.  
        

Above all, individuals, groups, and corporate organizations are advised to maintain a complicated password on their various accounts and endeavour to change it regularly, to avoid hacking. The social media is a viable platform but we must use it wisely and judiciously. Think about it!   

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Exploring Nigeria's Mining Industry

EXPLORING NIGERIA’S MINING INDUSTRY

       

Mining is simply the extraction of valuable minerals cum other geological materials from the earth crust, usually from lode, vein, ore-body, seam, reef, or placer, deposits. These deposits constitute a mineralized package that is of economic interest to the prospective miner. Ores gotten via mining activity are gemstones, limestone, coal, oil shale, metals, dimension stone, clay, gravel, potash, and rock salt, among others.

      

Mining is required to obtain essential commodities that cannot be possibly grown via agricultural processes, or created artificially in a factory or laboratory. Mining of stones and metals has been a well recognized human occupation since prehistoric era. Modern days mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analyzing the profit potential of the proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, and final reclamation of the affected land after the mine is closed.

      

The economic importance of mining cannot be overemphasized. In Ghana, for instance, the country’s mining sector is a very vital segment of its economy, and has played a significant role in its socio-economic development since the colonial period. Historically, the Ghanaian mining sector’s contribution to the country’s gross foreign exchange – particularly gold – has only been paralleled by its cocoa sector.

      

Not only do the products power the family car as well as heat the family home, the manufacturing sector, high tech industries, and even the better known resource industries, are all dependent – in one way or the other – on the mining industry. The mining industry will continue to be an important support to the economy of any country that embraces it. Aside boosting Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it encourages high rate of employment opportunities and equally thrives to ensure that the number of entrepreneurs in the country is increased tremendously.

      

In spite of the ongoing boom in the sector, Nigeria still lags behind. It’s shocking to note that notwithstanding the unquantifiable solid minerals the country is blessed with, mining accounts for barely 0.3 per cent of the country’s GDP, due to the influence of its vast petroleum resources. The country’s domestic mining industry is obviously underdeveloped, leading to importation of minerals such as, but not limited to, iron-ore and salt, that could be domestically produced.

      

Rights to ownership of mineral resources is held by the Federal Government (FG) who grants titles to interested organizations to explore, mine, and sell mineral resources, but ab initio, the business has been relatively unpopular. The Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration began a process of selling off government-owned mining corporations to private investors in 1999; till date, those firms are lying moribund. On assumption of duty, the President Mohammadu Buhari-led government assured Nigerians that the administration would rejuvenate the mining industry; yet at the moment, no serious impact has been recorded, perhaps owing to lack of policy direction.

       

It’s high time Nigeria started mining the available solid mineral deposits in the country that are abound – to include tale, gypsum, lead, zinc, bentonite, gold, uranium, bitumen, coal, rock salt, gemstones, kaolin and barite – all which are highly lucrative. This can only be actualized by deploring the required techniques tactically, as well as imbibing viable policies into the system.

      

Surface mining and sub-surface (underground) mining are the available two major forms of mining. The targeted minerals are generally divided into two categories of materials namely, placer deposits and lode deposits. The former consists valuable minerals contained within river, gravels, beach sands, and other unconsolidated materials, whilst the latter are those found in veins, layers, or in mineral grains widely distributed throughout a mass of actual rock. Both classes of deposits could be mined by either of the aforesaid mining types. Moreover, in-situ leaching is another technique mainly used in mining rare earth elements cum soluble minerals like uranium, potash, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, and sodium sulfate. Of all, surface mining is currently much more common and viable.

      

However, it’s pertinent to acknowledge that mining, likewise petroleum drilling, is associated with various environmental factors. These include erosion, formation of sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, coupled with contamination of soil, ground cum surface water by chemicals from mining processes. In some cases, additional forest logging is done in the vicinity of mines, to create space for the storage of the created debris and soil. Basic examples of pollution from mining activities include coal fires, which can last for years, producing severe amounts of environmental damage. This can be properly controlled through the effort of the concerned law enforcement agency by implementing stringent environmental and rehabilitation Acts.

      

Now that diversification of the country’s economy remains the only way to overcome the lingering recessionary era, the government ought to endeavour to take the bull by the horn towards ensuring that the mining industry is accorded a well deserved attention. For this dream to be holistically actualized, hands of fellowship must be duly and sincerely extended to the cognoscenti who can spur the industry to do more even when challenges are enormous.

      

Considering the impact the mining industry stands to create on the country’s economy at large, it’s needless to state that exploring the sector is long overdue, thus feasible action is seriously needed. Think about it!

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