Topic: Dangote Group Recruiting Graduate Trainee Drivers! Wow!

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Xclusive: Dangote’s
Truck Drivers To Be
Paid N250,000 –
N300,000 Monthly
To differentiate the graduate truck
drivers from the conventional trailer
drivers, instructors at the Nigerian
Institute of Transport Technology
(NITT), Zaria call them logistics
assistants. Most of the graduates who
applied to work as truck drivers with
the Dangote Group of Companies
qualified as engineers, architects,
chemists, mathematicians, just but to
mention a few. This is why, perhaps,
the NITT instructors quickly attempted
to professionalise the Graduate Truck
Driving Scheme with the alias of
Logistics Assistants.
Out of the about 13,000 graduates
reported to have applied to be
employed as truck drivers, some of
them hold Ph.D degrees. Others had
obtained masters degrees in different
fields while thousands are graduates
of different universities, polytechnics,
federal colleges of education and
other tertiary institutions with
qualifications that cut across
engineering, sciences, social sciences
and arts.
The lucky graduates among the army
of the applicants were only 2,000.
These 2,000 graduates are scheduled
to undergo a training programme in
batches at the Nigerian Institute of
Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria,
which would be run in four years. The
about 100 pioneer batch of the
graduate-drivers have already
commenced a three-month training at
the NITT.
Although all the trainees interviewed
by Weekly Trust said they were
attracted by the reputation that the
Dangote Group had earned for itself
internationally, other reasons like
spending many years without viable
job, passion and lust for high pay
contributed to the large turn up of
graduates to apply to work as truck
drivers.
Observers said for the young
graduates to accept to work as truck
drivers is indeed commendable.
Henry Pender is a graduate of Political
Science from the University of Ibadan.
Pender graduated in 2000 and has
worked as a banker, yet he is among
the about 100 graduates undergoing
training to become truck drivers; or
rather logistics assistants. Pender is
also the class governor of this first
batch of trainees.
“After my service, I had the privilege of
being retained at the Rivers State
Primary Education Board where I did
my primary assignment. I was with
them for about a year before I joined
the All States Trust Bank, which is now
defunct. I worked with them for three
years before I joined the Ecobank,
from there I moved to the Oceanic
Bank before joining Ecobank again
after the acquisition of Oceanic Bank
by Ecobank.
“I had to leave the banking industry
when I married my colleague, because
the human resource policy then did
not allow spouses to work in the
same office. I felt that my wife should
stay behind while I as a man would
look around for something to do. It
wasn’t easy, because the job was not
forthcoming as I thought. I attended a
couple of interviews at different
places, but I didn’t get what I was
looking for.
“When this opportunity of becoming
truck driver with Dangote presented
itself, I applied with open mind. I felt
that this is an opportunity for a new
beginning to move into a new
paradigm that is not explored. We
have just begun the journey in the
Nigerian Institute of Transport
Technology (NITT). I was pleasantly
surprised when I came here to see
people from different backgrounds
and professions.
“We are all getting along very well. I
am looking forward for an experience
that would improve our larger society.
Dangote has put something in place
that would turn out to be a revolution
in the transport industry in this
country. I think this programme
would eventually become a model
that all organisations of international
standard would adopt in no distance
future.
“From personal point of view, I like
driving. I have driven a lot since when
I became a professional driver and I
like travelling. But by coming here, I
have been exposed to the academic
side of driving. I feel that whatever I
do as a graduate, there should be a
level of expected difference from what
a layman would do. I think the
objective of employing graduates as
drivers is for sanity to be restored on
our highways. Most of us are victims
of the recklessness of heavy truck
drivers and this is what this initiative
wants to address. We are being
trained here to become complete
gentlemen as drivers,” Pender said.
He explained that he has, essentially,
decided to join the truck driving
profession out of interest not for
material reward.
“As at the time we had our interview,
there was no mention of any material
reward. It is now that we are hearing
that after a successful driving for a
certain period, or covering of certain
mileage that one would own a truck
or things like that. No such thing was
mentioned; there was no mention of
special incentives rather than we
would be employed and paid salaries.
“What I would say lured me into
joining the truck driving profession is
the name Dangote that is known
locally and internationally. I bet you
that if it were some other companies
that came up with this initiative, some
of us may not be here but the
mention of the name Dangote, one
would know that there is quality;
there is a personality behind it; there
is international recognition; that is
what lured most of us here beyond
any other material gain.
“We only discovered the
entrepreneurial incentive of this
programme when we came here;
when most of us have completed
their registration. Being somebody
who had the experience of the
banking sector, I would quickly join
Dangote, because I know I would
have job security and we are enjoying
ourselves here in the NITT as the
pioneer batch of this training
programme. I never knew there is an
institute like the NITT in Nigeria. We
are grateful to them for the
knowledge they are impacting in us.
“I want to also use this medium to
urge the youth of Nigeria to work
hard. We have to make names for
ourselves by working hard as it is not
all of us who are children of the
privileged, therefore we are here as
part of our dignity of labour. I would
rather stay here and do this work than
apply for visa to go abroad and face
all kinds of humiliation by washing
toilets or driving taxi while I have a
similar option here, which I would do
with dignity and leave a good
example for the upcoming ones,”
Pender explained.
Olowokere Oladele Yakub is from
Osun State. He attended University of
Lagos where he read Mathematics
(Education) with Geophysics as his
area of specialisation and graduated
in 2008. He is also in the NITT, Zaria
undergoing the Dangote Truck Driving
Training Scheme.
“I am passionate about this
programme, because of the need to
develop this kind of entrepreneurship
in this country. I am into this
programme, because I also have
passion for farming. I feel that to be
able to handle my farming activities
effectively, I need to learn how to
drive a truck. Nothing comes easy in
this life. One has to work before
becoming successful.
“I know that drivers drive the
economy of this country, therefore, by
becoming a driver, I feel I am
contributing my quota to the
development of the country. There is
no free lunch anywhere,” Yakub said.
For Okafor Martins from Anambra
State, he is expecting a monthly salary
of between N250,000 and N300,000
when he begins to steer the wheels of
his truck on the highway.
“I attended the Federal University of
Technology (FUTO), Owerri where I
read Electronic and Electrical
Engineering and graduated in 2008.
“I have never been a driver, but when
I saw the advert, I developed interest.
Honestly, the name Dangote attracted
me to this place, because I know he
must have good package for us. This
is my passion for it. I just don’t want
to be a common driver, but I want to
make a difference between graduate-
driver and a layman driver. I am sure
when we start plying the highways;
Nigerians would begin to see the
difference because we would be
trained drivers.
“I want to appreciate Dangote and we
are looking forward to N250,000 to
N300,000 monthly salary,”
enthusiastic Martins said.
Dahiru Hassan from Jigawa State said
if Ph.D holders in the United States of
America, United Kingdom, among
other top world countries can
become truck drivers, he has no
reason to look down on the job of
truck driving.
Hassan is a chemist, from the Bayero
University, Kano (BUK) and graduated
in the year 2010.
“I am looking at this development as a
passion, because in developed
countries, you can find a Ph.D holder
driving heavy duty vehicle. Why not in
Nigeria? The truck drivers we have in
Nigeria do not have the types of
qualifications we have. Therefore, we
feel we would do better, because our
driving would be knowledge-based.
“Honestly, I never knew of the NITT
before this programme. The lecturers
or instructors are really
knowledgeable and with their
tutorship, I feel that we would have
promising future,” Hassan said.
It is real that the Dangote Truck
Driving Scheme is parading people
with higher degrees. Adebayo
Fadewon holds a masters degree in
Business Administration (MBA)
obtained from Ladoke Akintola
University, Oyo State in 2007. He is
presently at the NITT, Zaria and is
among the 100 first batch trainees of
the truck driving scheme.
“I worked at the First City Emolument
Bank for three years before joining
this Dangote Truck Driving
programme. During the flagging off
ceremony of this programme, the
principal of the Federal Government
Girls’ College, Zaria said one of our
major problems in Nigeria is lack of
respect for dignity of labour. If you
are doing a certain type of job, some
people may tend to look down on
you, but with respect for dignity of
labour, we would imbibe the habit of
respecting every profession.
“Personally, I love driving. I have been
driving for the past 12 years and I love
travelling. Therefore, joining this
programme is joining something that
I am used to. When I left the banking
sector, I started doing something like
this. I engaged in hire service with my
car and I did that under my registered
company. For me, this programme is
just like home coming. I think what
Dangote is trying to do is to bring up
people like him, because good
leaders always groom their
successors. Dangote wants to help
people to be on their own, therefore
we must salute this sound initiative.
“The issue is not being called driver,
because even if you are not driving
truck, you would drive yourself and by
that you are a driver. The issue is the
passion we have for the job. I think
through this job, we would get
exposure. For now, we have been
exposed to the NITT, which many of
us were not aware of before. I am so
surprise to see an institute like this,
which can play a significant role in the
development of the transport sector in
Nigeria.
“Honestly, I am very optimistic about
this programme because I think
Dangote wants to make it to be of
international standard. For that I am
looking forward to a salary of the
range of N300,000. The salary may not
be all that important anyway, but it is
one of the motivations. The
knowledge we are acquiring now is
far above other material gains,”
Fadewon said.
The lecturers, instructors and coaches
of the trainees at the NITT are also
excited just as the graduate-drivers
are. They feel that they are making
history as those who would pioneer
the training of graduates to become
truck drivers.
Joseph Nashakya is one of the
instructors grooming the graduate-
drivers at NITT and he said
professionally, the graduates are
supposed to be addressed as Logistic
Assistants and not drivers.
“Here in the NITT we don’t really call
them drivers. Nowadays people who
assist in logistics are called logistics
assistants. The training they are
receiving here is to enable them
perform anywhere in the world.
Dangote Group of Companies is
expanding in the West African sub-
region and other parts of African
continent. I want to believe that
somebody can be called upon to
assist outside Nigeria. These people
should be world class reformers after
their training so that wherever they
are called to serve, they should be
able to do that with excellence.
“Programmes of this nature are
meant to give the participants the
requisite knowledge they require to
effectively discharge their duties.
Driving heavy truck vehicles used to be
a muscular profession before, but
now it only requires the use of brain
with little energy. This is why women
have taken up this profession. With
what we are giving them here, I have
the conviction that nobody would be
lost at the end of the training unless if
the person doesn’t have the will to
succeed. However, all the participants
are responding very well. You can see
the excitement and I am very happy
for that,” Mr Nashakya said.
Femi Jemirin, Head, Training
Department, NITT, Zaria said the
training programme is the first of its
kind in Nigeria.
“A private company decided to
improve safety, efficiency, operations
and management of road transport.
Dangote decided to bring on board
graduates from different walks of life
and it is a laudable development.
“The training is categorised into three
parts. There would be the theoretical
training that would cover transport
operation, safety, defensive driving,
understanding of highway codes and
interpretation, first aid administration,
among others. The second part of the
training is simulation. The participants
would be drafted to our transport
technology centre. Therein, each one
of them would be exposed to
simulation driving. From there we
would move to practical trailer driving.
We would start with our test track
driving, which is within the NITT. After
that they would graduate to highway
driving. We would use four trailers to
do this training that is 25 participants
per trailer since we are having 100 as
the first batch.
“The practical aspect of driving trailer
would start within Zaria and from
there it would be extended to nearby
towns and finally to embark on long
journey on the highway. After the
three month intensive training, they
would be awarded drivers’ license and
certificate from NITT. We are doing
this training in collaboration with
other agencies. The Federal Road
Safety Corps are to cover some
modules of the training while the
Vehicle Inspection Unit (VIO) would
cover some modules, as well.
“What we want to achieve after this
training is improvement of safety on
our highways. The programme would
also reduce graduates’ unemployment
in the country, which is very high.
Dangote decided to introduce
something that is obtain in other
parts of the world. In New York and
UK, some of their drivers are
graduates. It would also improve
transport management in the country.
“It is a thing of joy that the NITT is the
only institute in Nigeria and West
African that has the capacity to host
this kind of programme that has a
large number of participants. Kudos
also has to be given to Dangote for
this initiative and the recurrent
training of his own staff in his different
factories across the country and the
African continent,” Mr Jemirin said.
During the flagging off ceremony of
the Dangote Driving Training Scheme,
the representative of the company,
Bala Bashir, said the determination of
the company to reduce
unemployment in the country and the
need for the company to replace its
drivers with more exposed and
competent hands informed the idea
of recruiting the graduates as drivers.
On the other hand, the Vice
Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, Professor Abdullahi
Mustapha, who performed the
flagging off ceremony through his
representative, said the scheme is not
only apt, but timely in view of the rate
of unemployment in this time of
Nigeria’s national history.
Director General of the NITT, Alhaji
Aminu Musa Yusuf, expressed
optimism that the scheme would
reducie unemployment in the country
by augmenting Federal Government’s
efforts at providing employment
opportunities for Nigeria’s teeming
youths, particularly those graduating
from the country’s tertiary institutions.
As commendations continue to pour
for the initiative of the graduate-
drivers scheme and the acceptance of
many youths to enrol into the
scheme, observers said the
programme may not fully achieve its
main objective of enhancing sanity on
the highways if the country’s roads
are not fixed. It is also time that
would tell whether the graduate-
drivers would behave differently on
the highways or they would continue
with the feeling of an aura of a king
on the highways, as heavy trucks’
drivers.