VP Shettima Urges Collaboration to Drive Nigeria’s Skills Acquisition Agenda

Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that the era of government agencies and private sectors working in isolation is over, calling for a collective and unified approach to actualize the administration’s skills acquisition drive. Speaking at the 7th meeting of the National Council on Skills (NCS) in Abuja, he stressed that a “skills revolution” is central to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and its promise of human capital development.

A Call for Unity and Exemplary Leadership

Shettima emphasized that the success of the council’s objectives requires government officials, public servants, and the private sector to forge a new, collaborative workflow. He noted that the inability to work in harmony has become an “unacceptable obstacle to national progress.” The Vice President highlighted that funding for skills development, from certifying artisans to supporting technical colleges, is contingent upon this collaboration, stating, “We simply cannot build a future-ready workforce on a foundation of division.”

He praised Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, for setting a commendable example by establishing and chairing the first Kaduna State Council on Skills. Governor Sani, who was also present, noted that the state’s Vocational and Skills Development Institute recently admitted over 30,000 students. The Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, commended the state’s initiative and added that his ministry has directed technical colleges nationwide to focus on relevant courses in line with the government’s skills acquisition goals.