Ajibike olusola
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has tasked the newly inaugurated Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) with spearheading a practical skills revolution aimed at boosting Nigeria’s industrialisation, creating jobs for youths, and enhancing the country’s global competitiveness.
Speaking during the inauguration of the board in Abuja, Alausa described Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a key pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that the Federal Government is committed to transforming the nation’s education system to produce a highly skilled workforce.
The minister said the government is shifting focus from an overreliance on paper qualifications to developing competent, innovative and industry-ready graduates capable of driving entrepreneurship, productivity and economic growth.
He emphasised that TVET should no longer be viewed as a second-choice option to university education, noting that Nigeria’s industrial ambitions depend on a strong workforce of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists, machine operators and other skilled professionals.
Alausa urged the governing board to provide strategic leadership, policy direction and effective oversight while allowing the NBTE Executive Secretary and management to oversee the agency’s day-to-day operations.
He also directed the board to fast-track the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and other stakeholders. According to him, the initiative will formally recognise and certify the competencies of skilled artisans under the National Skills Qualification Framework,
improving their employability, access to financing, eligibility for government contracts and labour mobility across the ECOWAS region.
The minister further called for comprehensive curriculum reforms through Outcome-Based Education, with programmes aligned to Industry 4.0 by integrating artificial intelligence, automation, digital innovation, green technologies and advanced manufacturing systems.
He also urged NBTE-regulated institutions to strengthen training in applied sciences, engineering, technology and innovation, while encouraging polytechnics to phase out non-technical programmes that fall outside their statutory mandate.
Responding on behalf of the board, Chairman Prof. Babatunde L. Salako pledged the board’s full support for the Federal Government’s TVET reform agenda, adding that changing the perception of technical education as a second-choice pathway would remain a top priority.
NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris M. Bugaje, described the inauguration as a significant milestone, noting that the governing board had been constituted after more than five years without one.