The Federal Government has commenced the training of nearly one million Nigerian youths under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education, designed to produce entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.
The Honourable Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Olatunji Alausa (CON), disclosed this during an inspection visit to some TVET partner centres in Abuja, including AFS Vocational Hub in Garki and Golden Finger Farms and Ranches Limited along the Kubwa–Zuba Expressway.
Dr. Alausa explained that over 250,000 youths are currently enrolled in the first cohort across 2,600 training centres nationwide. He described the initiative as a major milestone in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to empower young Nigerians with practical, employable, and entrepreneurial skills.
He noted that the Ministry carefully identified and streamlined skill areas from 86 trades to 28 key sectors that are critical to Nigeria’s economy. These include fashion and garment making, livestock production, GSM repair, plumbing, tiling, and modern farming. The TVET curriculum, he added, is 90 percent practical and 10 percent theoretical to ensure trainees gain real hands-on experience.
According to the Minister, over 1.3 million applications were received when the national portal opened, with 960,000 applicants verified through their NIN and BVN to ensure transparency. Training centres are being paid directly to eliminate fraud and promote accountability.
Each participant receives a monthly stipend of twenty-two thousand five hundred naira, comprising seventeen thousand five hundred naira for upkeep and five thousand naira for transportation. Training centres are paid forty-five thousand naira per student for instructional support, while all trainees will receive starter packs related to their areas of training at the end of the programme.
Dr. Alausa emphasized that the TVET initiative was designed to create a new generation of entrepreneurs equipped with marketable skills and the capacity to start and sustain businesses. “We designed this initiative to create entrepreneurs out of these students,” he said. “This government has worked meticulously to make it a sustainable programme, and we are proud to have achieved our targets within the eight-month timeline we initially set.”
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing the leadership and political will that revived technical and vocational training within the education sector. “We have returned to the era when technical and vocational education coexisted with other forms of learning, and this has restored hope for millions of Nigerian youths,” he said.
The Minister noted that a significant number of participants are graduates of universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education who now have the opportunity to acquire practical skills that can make them self-reliant, productive, and globally competitive.
Dr. Alausa further explained that the programme’s sustainability has been built into its design, with annual incremental funding already approved to ensure continuity. He added that the next phase will focus on supporting graduates of the training through start-up grants and single-digit loans in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI).
“The President has directed the Bank of Industry to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to support graduates of this programme with affordable loans. Beyond training, this initiative is about giving young Nigerians the opportunity to apply their skills, create jobs, and contribute meaningfully to national development,” he said.
Dr. Alausa reaffirmed that the Federal Government remains committed to expanding the programme nationwide, ensuring that every Nigerian youth who acquires a skill becomes a driver of innovation and productivity. “Technical and vocational education now stands at the centre of our national development agenda. This is a great day for our nation,” he concluded.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
