Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated the National Skills Council on Thursday, a move geared towards addressing unemployment in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, which took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Osinbajo said the council would boost the employability of young Nigerians reduce unemployment in the country.
He said that the inauguration of the council was an indication of the commitment of the Buhari administration to address problems associated with the skills gap and youth unemployment in the country.
Prof. Osinbajo, who chairs the council, the Buhari administration has prioritized the skills acquisition and employment of Nigerian youths in line with the objectives of Economic and Recovery and Growth Plan.
“We consider that vocational and digital technology skills are critical in the effort of this government not only to provide employment for our young people but also as an important feature of diversifying our economy.
“There is no question at all that one of the critical questions that come up all the time is the employability of our young men and women.
“It is becoming increasingly evident that it is not enough to have the certificate to compete favourably today.
“It is important that young men and women have requisite skills, technical and digital skills to enable them to find a place especially in the job market of this challenging 21st century.”
The Vice President said the council shall, among other things, formulate skills development policy and also layout plans and strategies for skills development in Nigeria.
He said: “The council will direct the conduct of regular skills survey to identify the skills gap in the country so that training will be demand-based and to fast track the institutionalization of the National Skills Qualification Framework in Nigeria, and also to enforce legislation on the use of certified professionals in the country.
“The council will also bring coherence to skills development in the country by the facilitation of policy formulation,” Prof. Osinbajo added.
The Vice President noted that the national council, which is the highest decision-making body on skills development in Nigeria, “is a major step forward for us in our human resource development plan”.
A statement from the Office of the Vice President said that the council has Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, as first Deputy Chairman, while Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is second Deputy Chairman.
The Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige; Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; Industry Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Communications and Digital Economy, and Dr Ali Isa Pantami; are members of the Council.
Others are the ministers of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola; Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare and Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen.
The membership of the council also includes the representatives of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), National Universities Commission (NUC), UK Department For International Development (DFID), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), while the Director, Technology and Science Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, is the secretary.
