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‎Shettima demands urgent action to bridge nation’s skills gap

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‎Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called for immediate and united action to close Nigeria’s widening skills gap as a national priority, critical to economic transformation.

‎By Salisu Sani-Idris

‎Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called for immediate and united action to close Nigeria’s widening skills gap as a national priority, critical to economic transformation.

‎Shettima made the call on Thursday during the 6th meeting of the National Council on Skills (NCS) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

‎The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a major highlight of the meeting was the proposal for a National Skills Infrastructure Audit.

‎This is with a view to create a centralised database of all training facilities, verify their functionality, and identify gaps or overlaps in infrastructure.

‎The audit will also involve physical verification of centres and a detailed cataloguing of operational training facilities, ensuring alignment with national occupational standards and labour market needs.

‎The Vice-President noted that the council’s mandate is to develop a strategic workforce capable of meeting Nigeria’s evolving economic demands.

‎“What binds us together supercedes whatever divides us. We have to make this country work. We need to fill in the skills gap,” he said.

‎Shettima pointed out that the council has a mission to strategically position Nigeria’s workforce to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy.

‎“This council was established with a clear mandate to drive the strategic development of the skilled workforce that can contribute meaningfully to national growth and prosperity,” he added.

‎Shettima described the session as an open forum where positions are aired and important decisions are taken.

‎He emphasised that stakeholder engagement, consensus-building, and decisive leadership are essential to fixing Nigeria’s skills and employment crisis.

‎” The government’s policy trajectory is to strengthen human capital development for national growth and industry through skills development.

‎“However, unless the skills infrastructure across MDAs is optimised, this vision will remain unattainable,” the council noted.