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*Says Efforts Will Upscale Youth To Global Competitiveness, End Local Gaps
As Nigerians are looking forward to progress in the coming year, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday promised to re-double efforts to tackle youth unemployment in Nigeria in the year 2025.
He said that the youths will not only be up-scaled to address current inherent gaps in the country, but also transformed to compete globally.
The President spoke during the opening session of 3-Day National Conference on Skills Acquisition at the Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
The event themed 'Vocational Skills Acquisition, Entrepreneurship and the Challenges of Development in Nigeria' was hosted by the Progressive Institute (TPI) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by the Director General, Lanre Adebayo.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, said that his office is awaiting the recommendations of the conference in line with its objectives.
He said "A major focus of my government is to address the problem of unemployment, especially among our youths, through several innovations that will make our youths globally competitive while also upscaling them to address the observed weak gaps we have locally.
"Permit me to emphasis on my administration's commitment to frontally confront the challenges of unemployment among the Nigerian youths.
"We have already began and we will double our efforts in the new year. Vocational skills are globally recognised as one of the major base of youth employment.
"It is also very critical in our drive to further diversifying the country’s economy. Consequently, I shall be expecting a full report of the conference submitted to my office" the President stated
He noted that there have been several interventions by the government in the area of vocational skills.
"Many agencies of government are involved in implementing our policy on vocational skills acquisition" he said
The President said there is urgent and critical need for greater synergy to promote efficiency, reduce duplication, and maximise the reach of available resources.
"I urge this conference to take a careful look at all these interventions and suggest ways of promoting the needed synergy. There is also a need to examine how Federal interventions can be harmonised with state level interventions."
President Tinubu commended the Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for initiating the National skills acquisition conference.
According to him, the conference has brought two important issues to the front burner of Nigeria's national discuss.
The issues, he said, included the role of political party in a policy process, with relevance for establishing a research platform.
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"Let me therefore commend the leadership of our great party under able guardiance of Dr Umar Ganduje. This will no doubt enhance both the policy and the leadership of the APC.
"Thank you for being resourceful, innovative, especially in an unprecedented move to effectively redefine and rediscover the constitutional role of political parties" he added
The President said the conference underscored the important responsibility of political parties as part of the solution rather than as a platform for creating and ending crisis.
Stressing that the APC is leading the way in providing good governance to the country, the President said that the conference is the first time a political party is organizing such conference in Nigeria.
"This is also a fundamental contribution of the APC to the political development, especially in the role of the party in our governance system."
He therefore urged all serious political parties to emulate the leadership of the APC led Ganduje administration.
Making remarks at the event, the APC Chairman, Ganduje said the the conference is an attempt by the APC to contribute its quota to solving the challenges in the country.
He reiterated the commitment of the party to help President Tinubu to deliver on the promises made to Nigerians.
Stressing that the conference is an unprecedented attempt, he hoped that the government will find the recommendations useful.
The Chairman also disclosed that the TPI has been property registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
In his introductory remarks, the TPI Director General, Lanre Adebayo, thanked the APC Chairman for the support given to the Institute.
According to him, the conference is policy driven and will build on the existing interventions in the country.
He also assured that the TPI will drive the post-conference activities.
Delivering a keynote address, the SSA to the President of the AfDB, Prof Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, said it is essential to take the right steps to harness youth potentials, which included vocational skills training.
According to him, Nigeria just like many countries in the world, has a large army of unemployed graduates due to lack of skills.
He explained that good vocational skills training is essential to overcome the challenge.
Stressing that people, over the years, have looked down on people undergoing technical education, he said that the conference is very important in repositioning Nigeria.
He also pushed for building 1000 greenhouses per state in Nigeria
Seeking for proper equipping of youths, he said that countries like China that have gotten it right didn't prioritize Grant transfers and palliatives to the citizens.
The Senate President represented by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jubril Barau, noted that the country has abundant human resources, but lacking skilled manpower.
"So, the party has to be appreciated for doing this. You are helping us in the National Assembly with what you are doing. It is helping to deal with our national problem."
The National Assembly, he said, will collaborate more with the ruling party.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was represented by Hon. Sani Jaji, said the conference is coming at the right time when many youths are coming out of tertiary institutions with certificates but without skills.
He said the National Assembly has been working with the Executive arm to empower the youth and make them good leaders of tomorrow.
He thanked the APC for trying to galvanise the administration to deliver to Nigerians.
The APC National Secretary, Surajudeen Basiru, said the theme of the workshop is critical to the attainment of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He said that there is urgent need to fill the skill gaps inherent in the country.
According to him, there is also need to urgently rethink and make the economy develop and production focused.
In response to panelists discussions at the conference, there was sharp division among the participants.
While some of them called for introduction and committed implementation of vocational skills training from primary schools, others felt it should be incorporated with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Others pushed for the vocat training to be done after tertiary institutions and certificate issued before the mandatory NYSC service.