By Tokunbo2,Vice President Kashim

Copyright thesun

Fine-tunes bill for National Council on Skills

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

In a decisive move to confront Nigeria’s unemployment crisis, the Federal Government has intensified its focus on skill acquisition as a primary strategy for job creation. This initiative was highlighted at the National Council on Skills meeting on Tuesday chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, with key stakeholders including state governors and the Minister of Education.

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, who participated in the meeting, underscored the significance of the newly proposed bill to establish a National Council on Skills. “The essence of this bill is to harmonise the activities of all major players in skill development,” he said. He praised the Federal Government’s unprecedented investments in skill acquisition, particularly citing Kaduna State’s leading role, where over 32,000 students have been admitted to skill institutes sponsored by the government. “The way to go in Nigeria is skills. That’s the only way we can address unemployment, so our youth can employ themselves and others,” Sani emphasised.

Echoing this vision, the Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, detailed efforts to align the national curriculum with skill development priorities.

He emphasised, “At front and centre is skills now in the country. This is what President Bola Tinubu has promised the nation. The youth are the future of this nation, and the government is committed to giving them all the opportunities to excel and lead a decent life, so they can be productive to society, useful to themselves, and the nation at large.”

He elaborated on the new curriculum recently released, which is “heavily focused on skills to align with a clear emphasis on six core skills that are mapped to the needs of the country.” These skills include “fashion and garment making, livestock rearing, computer and GSM hardware repair,” among others, tailored to meet Nigeria’s economic demands.

Highlighting the scale of youth engagement in these initiatives, the Minister proudly reported, “We had almost a million people registered on the T-BED platform, with the first cohort of about 200,000 students starting training soon. Kaduna State leads with about 98,000 registrants. This tells you the youth are craving this opportunity, and government must meet them halfway.”

The Minister also spoke about the new National Council on Skills bill being finalised for submission to the National Assembly: “This council resolves historical frictions between different agencies by putting everybody together. It brings a longitudinal and coordinated focus to dealing with skill development issues in the country.”

Alausa commended the Governor of Kaduna State for his leadership in setting up a state-level council on skills, urging other sub-national governments to follow suit.

This renewed focus on skills is part of a broader federal investment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to bridge Nigeria’s skills gap and empower the youth to become employers, not job seekers. The government’s approach is evidence-based, aiming for measurable outcomes that ensure Nigerian youth graduate not only with certifications but with tangible, employable skills.

With extensive backing from the highest levels of government, including the Vice President and, by extension, President Tinubu, the Minister of Education underlined a clear message: skill acquisition is no longer optional, but the critical pathway to solving unemployment and driving Nigeria’s economic transformation. “The young kids of Nigeria are the major beneficiaries today,” he concluded, “and this government is determined to deliver on that promise.”

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, further elaborated on the holistic approach to skill education, stressing the need to start skill acquisition from primary school and to support out-of-school youth. “As Nigerians grow, they should grow with skills. This will reduce the number of unemployed youth on our streets,” she said.

A prominent aspect of the meeting was the refinement of the bill, which will be forwarded to the National Assembly. The bill seeks to formally establish a National Council on Skills to unify and oversee the nation’s skill acquisition efforts. Vice President Shettima’s leadership in the council demonstrates the government’s high-level commitment to solving the skills gap, which has hampered Nigeria’s workforce development.

This initiative complements existing programmes such as the establishment of hundreds of vocational centres nationwide, the launch of the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI), and partnerships with private and development sectors to create a cohesive skills ecosystem.

In sum, the Federal Government is moving beyond promises with tangible policies and investments, aiming to equip Nigeria’s youthful population with the tools necessary for entrepreneurial success and economic contribution. As Governor Sani put it, “There’s no government in this region that has invested in skills like this government. It’s highly commendable.”

The National Council on Skills and the accompanying bill are set to be pivotal in transforming Nigeria’s approach to skill acquisition and employment generation, marking a new chapter in the country’s fight against unemployment.