The Federal Government has begun training no fewer than 100,000 youths in 1,500 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centers across the country.

The Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id, made the announcement on Monday in Kano.

This was during an inspection visit to Bayero University, Kano (BUK), where Sa’id assessed ongoing vocational training initiatives supported by the ministry.

“The administration is committed to expanding opportunities for our youths to acquire industry-relevant skills that will make them self-reliant and employable,” she said.

The minister said that the programme covered a wide range of trades including carpentry, welding, plumbing, ICT, automobile repair, tailoring, among other skills in high demand.

She said that the initiative was designed to ensure that beneficiaries of the programme became self-reliant, job creators and active contributors to the nation’s economic growth.

According to her, the provision of starter packs will complement the government’s drive to reducing unemployment and addressing the persistent skills gap in the country.

“The administration of President Bola Tinubu is committed to strengthening technical and vocational education because it remains a critical pathway to empowering young Nigerians.

“Providing starter packs will enable our youths to put their training into practical use immediately,” she said.

Sa’id commended BUK for its commitment toward implementing the programme.

She said that the ministry would continue to partner institutions that promoted innovation, productivity and entrepreneurship.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor, BUK, Prof. Haruna Musa, said the programme was timely as the country continued to grapple with low employability, reduced productivity and slow economic growth.

Those, he said, were due to inadequate skills among its youth population.

Musa was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Ahmad Tsauni.

He said the programme was designed to equip young Nigerians with practical and entrepreneurial skills that would enhance job creation, innovation and national development.

Musa encouraged participants to take full advantage of the opportunity by learning diligently and transforming themselves into agents of positive change in their communities.

“BUK will continue to invest in research, innovation and strategic partnerships to expand opportunities for youth employment and industrial growth,” he said

The vice-chancellor commended the Federal Ministry of Education and other partners for their support in ensuring the successful take-off of the programme.

A beneficiary, Muhammad Ali lauded the government for, what he described as, the timely gesture.

He expressed appreciation, describing the initiative as a crucial step toward youth empowerment and national development.

Mainstream Energy Solutions, a privately-owned power-generating company, has offered to support infrastructure renewal at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday in Zaria by the Director, Public Affairs Directorate of the university, Malam Auwalu Umar.

He said the company also announced plans to partner with the institution on its 45th convocation scheduled for January 2026.

According to him, the form has also pledged to assist in the upgrade of the university’s internal roads, most of which were constructed in the 1960s and have never been rehabilitated.

“The institution’s nearly 30 kilometres of internal roads across its two campuses are currently in a state of near collapse.

“The company also indicated readiness to support the rehabilitation of toilets and improvement of water supply on the campuses.

“As part of preparations for the convocation, the company will give the 1,000-seater Abdullahi Mahadi Conference Centre a facelift ahead of the convocation lecture,” Umar said.

He quoted the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, as expressing deep appreciation for what he described as a long-standing and growing partnership since 2017.

He recalled paying a courtesy visit to the company in Abuja earlier in the week to thank it for its sustained support.

He stated that mainstream energy’s interventions had consistently come at crucial moments, especially when the university’s energy cost escalated to an unsustainable N370 million in May 2025.

Ahmed said the university was particularly excited about the company’s plan to replicate a Kainji Dam-model power plant at ABU’s Faculty of Engineering; a project expected to revolutionise practical training and research.

He also described as “a powerful demonstration of belief in the future of Nigerian youths” the firm’s decision last week to convey 20 ABU students via chartered flight to the Kainji facility for a hands-on excursion.

“Mainstream Energy Solutions has truly set a benchmark for industry-academia collaboration in Nigeria, aligned with national development goals,” Ahmed said.

The University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo State has disclosed that it has not increased its school fees for returning students as has been speculated, stressing that only the fees for fresh students were marginally increased.

According to the vice chancellor of the institution, Prof.

Ebunoluwa Adejuyigbe, the institution has made contact with the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to ensure that verified indigent students are included in the programme.

Adejuyigbe, while speaking during a media briefing, emphasised that there is no 149 per cent increment, stressing that there are courses whose fees are as low as N150,000.

She said: “There are a lot of incorrect narratives in some sections of the media on tuition at UNIMED.

We find the incorrect depiction of fees for our programmes by some fifth columnists hiding under the media as an attempt to discredit a rapidly growing institution.

“Let me set the records straight that the university did not increase fees across the board as being peddled; we only adjusted the fees of freshers to be able to give them the best in the face of the current economic realities.

“As a transparent institution, our fees are available on the university’s website for all to see. The fees are competitive compared to other institutions. They are highly subsidised by the government of Ondo State.”

The VC, while speaking on the transfer of the Akure complex of the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital to the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), maintained that the move would not affect UNIMED.

Adejuyigbe said that, according to the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), UNIMED students would have unhindered access to all facilities and the lecturers at the facility.

“The ceding of the Akure branch of UNIMED Teaching Hospital to FUTA will not adversely affect UNIMED, Ondo. It is a gesture meant to kick-start the medical science programmes at FUTA while the university prepares its main teaching hospital. I must add that UNIMED, as a rapidly developing medical school, has facilities that can relatively cater for the needs of its students at the teaching hospital in Ondo,” she said.

“Please note that UNIMED believes that collaboration and cooperation are necessary for a 21st-century university to thrive. So, while we maximise the facilities we have in Ondo, we will continue to collaborate with relevant institutions locally and internationally to deliver the best medical and health sciences education,” the VC further said.