Mr Kayode Babade, Chairman, Ekiti State Board for Technical and Vocational Education, says youths should embrace technical and vocational education for innovation, self-reliance and economic empowerment.

Babade, who gave the advice on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, said “embracing technical and vocational education was better than waiting for unavailable white-collar jobs”.

According to him, youths should utilise the gains of technical and vocational studies set-up, which is aimed at acquiring marketable skills to become employers of labour.

“The present administration in the state is undergoing various infrastructural and curriculum reforms across all the state-owned technical and vocational institutions for relevance and employability of Ekiti people.

“Vocational education and skills acquisition have been very major issues all over the world and today in Nigeria, the federal and state governments have keyed into this particular programme.

“It has three advantages: one, it makes youths self-employed; two, it puts food on their table; and three, he could be an employer of labour himself, having set up his own enterprise.

“It is a very wonderful thing for youths to have skills to enable them fend for themselves because everybody can’t work for government,” he said.

The board chairman explained that over 40 per cent of the Nigerian populace were youths, hence, so many of them would not be employed by the government.

According to Babade, the population of Nigeria is going to about 250 million, so how many people will have government work?, rather, let people go and create jobs.

“First of all, acquire a skill and then set up your own job. You’ll be independent, fend for yourself, own flexible time to work and earn a living.

“So, our major focus in the Board for Technical and Vocational Education is to train Ekiti youths, give them marketable skills that can make them self-reliant for their family and others.

“Any of the technical colleges in Ikole, Otun and Igbara-Odo can compete with any technical colleges in Nigeria.

“The Government Technical College in Ado-Ekiti is one of the best in the West African sub-region in terms of infrastructure and equipment. Government is doing everything for that place and others to maintain the standards.

“That is manpower development, youth employment, and there is youth restiveness all over the place, remember that an idle man is the devil’s workshop,” he said. (NAN)

Troops of 17 Brigade, operating under Operation Fasan Yamma at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Kurfi in Katsina State, have on Wednesday, eliminated eight terrorists in an encounter along Kurfi – Batsari Road.This is contained in a statement by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.

-Gen. Markus Kangye, on Thursday in Abuja. Kangye said the troops swiftly engaged the terrorists and thwarted their plans after a prolonged duel. He said the terrorists suffered significant casualties, with recovery of five AK-47 rifles, six AK-47 magazines, and 13 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition.According to him, a soldier was however, wounded in action and evacuated to 17 Brigade Medical Centre for treatment.“The situation remains calm, while troops’ morale and fighting efficiency remain high.“The Defence Headquarters commends the bravery and professionalism of the troops involved in the operation.“We reassure Nigerians of our continued efforts to ensure the safety and security of our citizens,” he said. (NAN)

President Bola Tinubu is expected in Kaduna State Today Thursday for the inauguration of several key developmental projects executed by the administration of Gov. Uba Sani.Report says that the visit forms part of activities marking Sani’s two years in office.The projects lined up for inauguration include the 300-bed Specialist Hospital in Millennium City, Kaduna, built by the state government to bolster the provision of healthcare services.

Tinubu will also inaugurate the Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development in Rigachikun, road projects in Soba, and Samaru Kataf LGASas well as the 24-kilometre Kafanchan Township Road. Others are the Tudun Biri Road, the 22km road linking Kauru and Kubau LGAs as wll as the Vocational and Skills Training Centre in Tudun Biri.Tinubu is also expected to unveil 100 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses, as part of efforts to modernise the state’s public transportation system.The projects are part of the administration’s focus on infrastructure development, healthcare delivery, youths empowerment, and economic growth.The state government described the visit as a significant moment for the people of Kaduna and an opportunity to showcase ongoing efforts to transform the state through impactful governance.Sani, who marked his second year in office this month, has prioritised human capital development, rural infrastructure, and jobs creation since taking office in 2023.Tinubu’s visit to Kaduna State was rescheduled from Wednesday to Thursday.He was initially supposed to visit Kaduna on Wednesday, but due to the recent attacks in Benue, he shifted his trip.The president visited Benue on Wednesday to commiserate with the victims of the recent attacks and assess the humanitarian crisis.During his visit to Benue, Tinubu met with stakeholders, including traditional rulers, political and community leaders, and youth groups, to seek lasting solutions to the hostilities.He also condemned the ongoing violence and called on the residents to embrace peace and mutual understanding.The Benue Government had declared a work-free day for Tinubu’s visit, urging the residents to turn out in large numbers to welcome him. (NAN)