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)

From Ayinde Akintade, Osogbo

The Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Lere Oyewumi, representing Osun West Senatorial District, has commended Governor Ademola Adeleke’s unwavering commitment to the welfare of teachers and the overall improvement of public school education in Osun State.

Delivering his address on Monday at the State Wing Executive Meeting of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ikire, Irewole Local Government area of Osun State, Senator Oyewumi specifically applauded Governor Ademola Adeleke’s proactive stance in prioritizing the well-being of the teaching workforce.

He stressed that this has focused on teachers welfare which has been a pivotal factor in the noticeable enhancement of performance and standards within the state’s public education system.

The lawmaker emphasized that the transformative work of teachers extends beyond the classroom, playing a crucial role in fostering community development and ultimately contributing significantly to national progress.

“Teachers are the unsung heroes of our society. Your tireless work in nurturing young minds is fundamental to building a knowledgeable, skilled, and responsible citizenry, which is essential for the sustainable development of our communities and the nation at large,” he remarked.

Senator Oyewumi’s presence at the NUT meeting underscores his consistent advocacy for quality education and his belief in the pivotal role of teachers in societal advancement.

As a representative of Osun West, Senator Oyewumi has been instrumental in facilitating various educational infrastructure projects within his constituency, including the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms, ICT centers, libraries, and laboratories, further demonstrating his commitment to enhancing the learning environment for students across Osun State.

Senator Oyewumi assured the teachers in the entire Osun West Senatorial District of initiating comprehensive training programs for teachers and empowering them with essential technological tools, particularly computers.

He underscored the importance of equipping educators with modern skills and resources to meet the evolving demands of the 21st-century educational landscape.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, Osun State Wing, Comrade Babalola Isaac Babatunde appreciated Senator Oyewumi’s unalloyed support to him and entire union adding that his unflinching support and cooperation to the development of entire NUT in the state cannot be over emphasised.

The Osun NUT Chairman who described Senator Oyewumi as an erudite scholar, one of the PDP foremost, active and dedicated leader not only in Osun State but in Nigeria as a whole called on the people of Osun West Senatorial District to continue to demonstrate their complete support to Senator Oyewumi for them to continue to enjoy dividends of democracy.

Comrade Babatunde also described Governor Ademola Adeleke as a teachers friendly Governor who always pursue the welfare and betterment of entire teachers in Osun.

The meeting concluded with a renewed sense of optimism and a shared commitment to the sustained growth and excellence of public education in Osun State.

Notables at the well attended meeting included Osun Commissioner II TESCOM, Hon. Sikiru Oyelakin; Irewole LGEA Secretary, Hon. Nureni Owoade; Isokan LGA Education Secretary, Hon. Badiru Otolorin; Hon. Lukman Oyeniran; Aare Moshood Jolaiya; Hon. Badiru Moruf; Hon. Femi Oladiran; among others.

The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje has expressed the need to promote inclusivity, especially for women and persons with disabilities in technical education.

Bugaje stated this in Abuja while assessing the impact of President Bola Tinubu’s administration after two years in office.

He appealed for greater gender inclusivity in vocational and technical education, stressing that deliberate policies such as scholarships and incentives could help bridge the gender gap.

In support of his position, Bugaje shared an inspiring story of a female medical doctor who abandoned her medical career to pursue carpentry.

“There is a story I want to share with you, about a girl who was interested in becoming a carpenter.

“The father was a carpenter and they were four children in the family, three boys and herself.

“Whenever she joined the boys to the workshop, the father would send her away, saying, `you are a girl, go back to the house, you are not supposed to be a carpenter’’.

“Without giving considerations to the passion of the young girl, the father sent her to a medical school.

“She graduated with the MBBS, went and did the one-year internship after graduation, and chose a role as a medical doctor.

“After that, she came back to the father, returned the MBBS certificate to him, and thanked him.

“Afterward, she told the father that her passion is in carpentry, not to practice as medical doctor,” Bugaje narrated

He added that after spending seven years on medical training, the father had no option but to send her to Turkey to learn how to make furniture.

Addressing cultural and societal barriers often faced by young women in technical fields, Bugaje appealed to parents to support their daughters’ interests in trades like plumbing, electrical installation, and carpentry.

He also called on policymakers to prioritise passion and skill development among youth, especially girls, noting that such encouragement could lead to greater innovation and self-reliance.

“If they want to become carpenters, ICT experts, or POP artists, allow them.

“In skills’ training, passion is very important. That’s what motivates children and helps them innovate.

“We need to harness these innovations if the country is to move forward and rise beyond being a third-world nation,” he said.

He emphasized the need to have deliberate policies to encourage women to come into TVET through scholarships and other incentives. (NAN)