By Onwa Ekor
In a bid to sensitize and expose people of school age, youths and undergraduates into maritime, logistics and transport sector, a group, ‘Bright Flow logistics,’ has commenced the training of about a hundred persons.
The training, a pet project of the Chief Executive Officer of ‘Bright Flow logistics,’ who doubles as Chairman, Chartered Institute of logistics and transport in Cross River, Dr. Aniefiok Iton, was held at the Prof Eyo Ita Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) in Calabar.
“I have been a practitioner in the industry for over 20 years and to my shock, we have the sea and the cargoes, we have all the export windows, but we in the South-South region have no presence in the industry as you hardly see people from here in active practice in the sector.
“This became a concern to me and that motivated my passion to see how I can go into hosting workshops and training programs, in order to sensitize people to get their interest into the industry,” the facilitator explained.
Iton who earlier had a stint in Akwaibom and Bayelsa embarking on such trainings, disclosed that she intends to cover all states in the South-South region, to ensure that the indigenous people re-strategize their minds beyond oil and gas while focusing on other potentials that are overwhelmingly deposited in the region, especially maritime trade, logistics and transport.
Asked who is financing the project, the Chief Executive Officer of Bright Flow logistics said, “it is my pet project, for now I take the entire responsibility to ensure that our people in the South-South region are actively involved, productive and earn a living from the sector.”
On available job prospects after the training, she informed that her office is open for apprentices and any one interested in exploring through the industry, adding that, “we don’t see them as apprentice because from the day we engage them, we give them some stipends to be able to help them coordinate their movement.”
Iton further charged youths in the region not to sit back and watch strangers come to reap from their potentials, instead be opened to understanding, care to know and be conscious of their economic environment in order to diversify potentials.
Her words: “My slogan in each session I take is, you learn, you unlearn and you relearn. I want the youths to know that there are so many utility vehicles and if you do not position yourselves, get knowledge and understanding, you will be left out.”
A cross section of trainees applauded the facilitator of the training for the exposure to the sector, maintaining that the knowledge from the training would be judiciously used and help to redirect their focus on just civil service jobs which have always been their target after academic pursuits.
