Vice President Kashim Shettima has declared that the era of government agencies and other stakeholders operating in isolation on skills acquisition is over.
He called for a unified approach to actualise the administration’s human capital development goals.
Speaking at the 7th meeting of the National Council on Skills (NCS) in Abuja yesterday, he emphasised that a “skills revolution” is a cornerstone of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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Shettima urged government officials, public servants, and the private sector to forge a new workflow that prioritises collaboration in curriculum development and funding.
“The era of operating in silos is over,” he stated, stressing that this new approach is critical for artisans, workers, and technical colleges nationwide.
He commended Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, for establishing and chairing the first State Council on Skills.
Shettima described the move as exemplary and encouraged other state governments to follow suit.
Shettima acknowledged that institutional friction within Nigeria’s skills ecosystem has been an obstacle to progress and must be addressed.
“We simply cannot build a future-ready workforce on a foundation of division,” he said, reiterating that inter-agency harmony is not just helpful but essential for the success of the initiative.
He maintained that federal funding for skills development cannot be unlocked without collaboration among relevant agencies and ministries.
Sani, who was at the meeting, noted that the Kaduna Vocational and Skills Development Institute recently admitted over 30,000 students.
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Also, Minister of Education, Olatunji Alausa, praised Governor Sani for his role in the commissioning of the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development.
He added that the Education Ministry, in line with the government’s skills acquisition drive, has instructed technical colleges to focus on relevant courses for the upcoming academic year.
