55% Of Nigerian Youth Unemployed Or Underemployed Due To Skill Gap — Speaker Abbas

Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen has raised concerns over the alarming rate of youth unemployment and underemployment in Nigeria, attributing it to a lack of practical and technical skills required by the modern labour market.

Speaking on Wednesday at a public hearing organised by the House Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education, the Speaker—represented by Auwal Gwadabe—stressed the urgent need for technical training and skill acquisition among the youth.

“The main objective of establishing higher technical institutions is to expand access to quality technical and vocational education. Unfortunately, about 55% of our youth are either unemployed or underemployed due to the shortage of practical and technical skills demanded by today’s labour market,” he said.

Abbas noted the growing recognition of science, technical, and vocational education as vital drivers of national development. He added that with the advent of emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning, and Big Data, theoretical knowledge alone is no longer sufficient.

“We must, therefore, equip our youth with practical skills that will enable them to thrive in an ever-evolving, technology-driven job market and stay current with trends in the tech ecosystem,” he said.

The Speaker called for a renewed national commitment to strengthening technical institutions and aligning educational outcomes with the needs of the digital economy.

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“The 10th House, ‘The People’s House’, is a responsive institution that recognizes the critical importance of technical education as a key driver in actualizing our National economic reform and growth It 1s for this reason that we ourselves, through our 10th Legislative Agenda to work ensure that technical education in Nigeria must not on y be qualitative, but also be accessible.”

He expressed confidence that this public hearing will tease out necessary arguments and vital insights that will enrich our collective desire to close existing gaps and expand access to quality education on using the instrumentality of lawmaking as domiciled in the parliament by the constitution as well as provide the desired logics for prioritising entrepreneurship and technical education in our country’s educational sector.

Chairman of the Committee, Fund Kayode Laguna, said the three bills are important because they seek to promote entrepreneurship studies and skill acquisition to empower Nigerians with skills to become employable, create jobs and excel anywhere, particularly in their various constituencies.

He said the Speaker has expressed adequate support for the establishment of training institutions that will empower technicians and middle-level personnel who will act as effective catalysts for rapid industrialisation and development.

He said the Committee is committed to welcoming insightful ideas and innovations that support these Bills to establish education institutions that will equip our youths with technical knowledge, modern skills, and profitable knowledge.

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Sponsor of one of the bills, Solomon Wombo, said the proposed Federal College of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition in Zaki Biam, Benue state, is intended to bridge the gaps in entrepreneurship knowledge and skills, particularly evident in my largely agrarian constituency and, by extension, across Nigeria.

He said, “This initiative is critical for several reasons. Beyond optimising our human and natural resources for productivity and catalysing social change, it is a key driver of innovation. The bill outlines a skills-based curriculum aimed at equipping students for careers in industry, commerce, agriculture, and various vocations.

“More significantly, the concept of entrepreneurship incubation offers a strategic approach to curbing the alarming rise in youth unemployment and the attendant risks to political stability, social cohesion, and economic progress. It aims to boost capacity and competence in the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, which is the backbone of Nigeria’s economy.

“The enactment of this bill will not only empower the people of the zone and the country by developing their skills and making them productive and self-sufficient, it will also address long-standing grievances of neglect and marginalization that echo from the region.

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“By integrating entrepreneurship with technology, we can engage youth more effectively in local economic activities, reduce unemployment, and enhance value addition in the national economy.

“The bill will promote youth self-reliance by shifting the focus away from white-collar job dependency, provide hands-on training in business and entrepreneurship, empowering unemployed Nigerians with skills that encourage self-employment and wealth generation and serve as a catalyst and model for business education and entrepreneurship incubation within and beyond the state, utilizing the creativity and energy of young trainees.

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