Vice President Kashim Shettima has said ongoing reforms initiated by the current administration were such that would create employment opportunities for the youth population as well as provide greater opportunities in the various sectors of the economy.

This is coming just as the Vice President also underscored the inevitability of skills acquisition among the young demographic in the country, noting that the nation could no longer afford to keep growing a population of idle, unemployed and unemployable youths.

Vice President’s spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, in a statement issued on Friday quoted Senator Shettima of making the assertion during the Combined Graduation Ceremony of the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.

He said: “The danger of paying lip service to technical and vocational skills acquisition is one none of us is prepared to experience, and the examples of various low- and middle-income countries, especially the Asian Tigers, are there to inspire the direction of our National Development Plans and push our economic drive towards a destination we all desire a place of boom.

“This is why His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has championed economic reforms beyond the usual cosmetic fixes to lay the groundwork for greater opportunities ahead. With increased allocations to the states, I believe that we are more than energised to fund our development programmes.”

Recalling Nigeria’s origin as an agrarian nation, Senator Shettima noted that there was no greater inspiration than concentrating on “the magnitude of initiatives made possible by the proceeds of the sector and the hard work of those skilled and unskilled workers who were the fulcrum of our pre-oil economy.”

He said the graduation ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the sincerity of the administration’s promise to create avenues for up-skilling and re-skilling the nation’s workforce across sectors.

Shettima pointed out that the institute was a vehicle through which the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government fulfilled its promise to Nigerians to “prioritise poverty reduction, employment generation, and job creation.”

Cautioning against harbouring the population of unemployed youths in the country, he said, “The reality we inherited points to the existence of a link between youth unemployment, violence, and other associated crimes, and as such, we cannot afford to create an idle, unemployed, or unemployable demographic.

“Our response, over which we gather here today, is to build on our agenda of providing our youths with skills to either find gainful employment or become self-reliant. This grand event, the Combined Graduation Ceremony for the graduands of the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute, Lafia, aligns with the direction the world is headed—the path of skill acquisition.”

He applauded the foresight of Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, which he said was being manifested in his aspiration to turn the state “into a hub of jobs and opportunities.”

Shettima who had earlier flagged off the distribution of relief materials to flood victims, presentation of tractors and paddy rice to farmers in the state said it was a demonstration of his “affinity for Nasarawa State, and as a Kanura man with some segments” of the state that has already become home to him.

He also commended the institute for graduating no fewer than 9,000 graduands barely three years of its existence, even as he charged the graduands to join relevant associations and cooperatives to enable them access loan facilities and learn from the experiences of those ahead of them in their respective enterprises.

Earlier in his remarks, the Governor Abdullahi Sule said the skills programme of the vocational and technology institute was designed to address the skills gap in critical sectors and empower young Nigerians.

He thanked Vice President Shettima for finding time to visit the state, and for supporting its modest contributions to economic transformation and youth empowerment.

In his remarks, former Plateau State Governor, Senator Simon Lalong, praised the courage and efforts of the state government in impacting the lives of young Nigerians through the various schemes in agriculture and vocational and technology training.

On his part, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Hassan Kukah, thanked Nasarawa State government for the efforts to address poverty through skills acquisition and economic empowerment initiative, just as he emphasised the significance of empowering young people with skills to impact their communities and societies.

In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational Technology Institute, Dr. Daniel Asele said the 1,000 graduands of the 2024 programme of the institute had undergone rigorous training and acquired skills that were relevant to contemporary challenges of their communities and state at large.

In a goodwill message, the Director General of the Nigeria Employers, commended the Nasarawa State Government for its commitment to empowering young Nigerians, saying the programme would significantly impact ongoing efforts to transform and industrialise the economy by providing the necessary skilled manpower to drive the processes.

On his part, the Emir of Lafia, Hon. Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I (rtd), thanked the Vice President for his support and commitment to the people of Nasarawa State, pledging the loyalty of the traditional council to the federal government’s programmes and policies.

High points of the event were the presentation of start-up packs and certificates to the graduates in welding, tailoring, and ICT among other fields.

Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima had earlier flagged the distribution of relief materials to flood victims in affected local government areas.

He also presented tractors and distributed Jangwa Paddi Rice from the proceeds of the pioneer Nasarawa Rice Farm project to 13 local government areas.

He commended Governor Sule for his exemplary leadership and sterling qualities, saying they have ensured peaceful co-existence among the different tribes in the state, and transformed agricultural production across the area.

Shettima also toured the Olam warehouse where the produce of the Nasarawa State Rice Farm project for 2024 was stored.

Also present at the event were the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen Abubakar Kyari; Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr Emmanuel Akabe; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Danladi Jatau; Director General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mr Silas Agara, and other top government functionaries.