The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), reaffirming its commitment to strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a key driver of industrialisation, economic growth and youth empowerment.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, inaugurated the board in Abuja on Thursday, describing the development as another milestone in the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to a statement issued by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, Alausa urged the board to provide strategic leadership that would reposition technical education and align it with Nigeria’s economic transformation agenda.
The minister said the Federal Government is shifting the country’s education system away from an overreliance on academic certificates towards producing graduates equipped with practical, industry-relevant skills.
He noted that the administration is committed to building a globally competitive workforce capable of driving industrialisation, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Congratulating the newly appointed chairman and members of the board, Alausa said their appointments reflected confidence in their professionalism and capacity to strengthen the technical education sector.
He stressed that Technical and Vocational Education and Training is now a national development priority rather than merely an alternative to university education.
“Technical and Vocational Education and Training is no longer an alternative pathway to university education but a strategic national priority,” the minister said.
Alausa added that Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful industrialisation without a strong pool of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists and other skilled professionals.
He explained that the government has prioritised investments and reforms aimed at bridging the gap between education and industry while equipping learners with practical skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
The minister outlined four key priorities for the board: strengthening institutional governance, accelerating the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework, modernising technical education curricula, and ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
He directed the board to collaborate with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and other stakeholders to certify the competencies of skilled artisans under the National Skills Qualification Framework.
According to him, the initiative will improve employability, expand access to finance, increase opportunities for government contracts and enhance labour mobility across the ECOWAS region.
Alausa also called for curriculum reforms anchored on Outcome-Based Education, with greater emphasis on digital technology, artificial intelligence, automation, green technology and advanced manufacturing.
He urged institutions regulated by the NBTE to strengthen programmes in engineering, technology, innovation and applied sciences while encouraging polytechnics to gradually phase out non-technical programmes outside their statutory mandate.
The minister further charged the board to uphold fiscal discipline and accountability, stressing that public investments in technical education must translate into measurable improvements in skills acquisition, institutional performance, youth employment and national productivity.
Responding on behalf of the board, Chairman Professor Babatunde L. Salako thanked President Tinubu and the Minister of Education for the confidence reposed in the members.
He described the inauguration as the beginning of a new chapter for technical education in Nigeria and pledged the board’s support for the Federal Government’s reform agenda.
Salako said the board would work to expand opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire relevant technical skills while promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.
He identified changing public perception of technical education as one of the board’s immediate priorities.
“Changing the long-held perception of technical education as a second-choice option” would require sustained public awareness to encourage parents, students and society to embrace TVET as a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development, he said.
The Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Professor Idris M. Bugaje, described the inauguration of the governing board as a landmark development, noting that the agency had operated without a board for more than five years.
He commended the Minister for what he described as decisive leadership and assured him of the board’s commitment to working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to implement the administration’s TVET transformation agenda.
Formally inaugurating the board on behalf of President Tinubu, Alausa urged members to regard their appointments as a call to national service.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to making technical and vocational education a catalyst for industrialisation, innovation, job creation and sustainable economic development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
