The Plateau State House of Assembly has opposed an alleged plan to relocate the headquarters of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) from Jos, warning that such a move would undermine the state’s economy and diminish federal presence.
During the plenary on Thursday at the Old Government House Chamber, Rayfield, the member representing Qua’an-Pan South, Theodore Maiyaki, raised the matter under urgent public importance.
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Mr Maiyaki, who chairs the House Committee on Education, Science, and Technology, argued that relocating the ITF would “disrupt economic activities tied to the institution, lead to job losses, undermine its historical significance in Jos, and affect long-standing training programmes and partnerships.”
The lawmaker urged the Assembly to liaise with the state government to engage federal authorities, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, ITF leadership, key stakeholders, the President, the National Assembly, and the ITF governing council to ensure the Fund remains in Jos.
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Presided over by Speaker Naanlong Daniel, the Assembly unanimously passed a resolution rejecting the purported relocation.
However, in a statement issued on Friday, ITF Head of Press and Public Relations, Thomas Ngor, denied any plan to move the headquarters from Plateau State.
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“The ITF deeply values its longstanding historical ties and socio-economic contributions to Plateau State, which have been integral to its identity since 1976, when the Fund’s headquarters was relocated from Lagos to Jos,” the statement read.
Mr Ngor stressed that neither the management, governing council, nor the supervising ministry had considered relocating the headquarters.
“There is no proposed relocation of the ITF headquarters from Jos, despite the Honourable Member’s claims,” he said, adding that the Fund was open to dialogue with the state government and other stakeholders “to address concerns and strengthen collaborative efforts for mutual benefit.”
He urged the public to disregard rumours of relocation, describing them as “unfounded and misleading.”
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