FG Targets 5 Million Nigerians For Poverty Exit Through Skills Acquisition

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to lift five million young Nigerians out of poverty through skills acquisition and empowerment programmes designed to promote sustainable livelihoods and economic independence.

The initiative, being implemented under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), seeks to equip young Nigerians with practical, market-relevant skills to improve their employability and entrepreneurial prospects.

Dr Abiola Arogundade, Senior Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE) and coordinator of the programme, disclosed this on Monday in Ibadan at the commencement of the Oyo State phase of the training.

The programme, which runs from September 28 to October 9, is part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to expanding access to technical, vocational and entrepreneurial education.

Arogundade said the initiative, which began in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), would be extended to other states and geopolitical zones across the country.

Under the Oyo State phase, 200 young Nigerians are receiving training in graphics and artificial intelligence (AI), makeup artistry and fashion designing.

She said 30 participants were enrolled in graphics and AI, while 85 each were undergoing training in makeup artistry and fashion designing.

According to her, the programme goes beyond skills acquisition, as beneficiaries will also be connected to organisations and business opportunities to facilitate their transition into sustainable livelihoods.

“So with this programme, we are training 200 people. We will also be distributing 500 tablets during the grand finale of the programme as part of the Federal Government’s digital empowerment drive.

“We are directly empowering 700 people in this programme and there will be multiplier effect,” she said.

Arogundade explained that the initiative was designed to create benefits beyond the immediate beneficiaries by equipping participants with skills they could deploy to support others in their communities.

“We are not just training them for themselves but we are training them for their communities, for the population, and for all the states in Nigeria,” she added.

She urged the participants to take the training seriously, maximise the opportunity and use their newly acquired skills to empower others.

The presidential aide said the programme reflected the Tinubu administration’s commitment to addressing the challenges facing young Nigerians by creating opportunities for economic self-reliance.

Earlier, the keynote speaker for the graphics and AI training, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, said the growing adoption of artificial intelligence offered Nigeria opportunities to accelerate development, improve employability and prepare young people for emerging jobs.

Shonubi stressed the importance of equipping young Nigerians with digital skills to enable them to take advantage of opportunities in the evolving technology-driven economy.

One of the beneficiaries, Idowu Olalere, a 400-level student of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for providing young Nigerians with opportunities to acquire emerging digital skills.

Olalere said the training would help bridge the gap between existing skills and the changing requirements of the labour market.

Two other beneficiaries, Mrs Iyabo Ajayi, a makeup trainee, and Fatunbi Joshua, a fashion designing trainee, also commended the Federal Government for the initiative.

They expressed optimism that the programme would contribute to reducing unemployment by equipping participants with practical skills and opportunities for self-employment.

At the end of the training, participants will receive laptops, sewing machines and fully equipped makeup kits to support their entrepreneurial pursuits and help them establish sustainable businesses.

The programme forms part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to promote inclusive economic growth, reduce poverty and expand opportunities for young Nigerians through technical and vocational education.