Connect with us

News

Federal Govt kicks off training for two million IT jobs in June

Published

on

178 Views

The Federal Government is set to offer six months of free training to youths to fill two million job vacancies.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also approved N120 billion to revive technical education.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, spoke during the third Ministerial Press Briefing, organised by Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris in Abuja.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, also gave an account of his stewardship.

Alausa said: “We have almost N120 billion and the President has approved it for us to move this agenda forward.

“This programme will be launched probably in the month of May.

“Today, based on UNESCO data, there are 650,000 vacancies in software development methodologies, about 280,000 vacancies in cyber security, and about 160,000 vacancies in IT automation.“

Another 150,000 vacancies in AI and machine learning, about 120,000 vacancies in cloud computing, and about 60,000 vacancies worldwide in national language processing.

“Add that together, we have almost two million job vacancies out there.

“So, what we’re doing with Digital Training Academy is working with trainers that will offer six- months of training to young engineers.

“We, as a government, will pay for their internet services, pay for their certification- Cisco certification, End of Career certification, and Google certification.”

Alausa said the strategy would give Nigerians new digital skills needed to stand out in the world.

He added that the training would be launched on or before June.

The minister said the Federal Ministry of Education was putting measures to encourage Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to meet the areas of needs.

He said this would be done through the Digital Training Academy (DTA) to give students skills in service industries.

Alausa reiterated the commitment of the government to return 10 million out-of-school children to the classrooms.

He said the ministry was working on a new strategy to increase access, improve quality and enhance education systems for foundational learning.

Alausa said between now and 2027, the government will reconstruct 195,000 classrooms across the nation.

“With regards to infrastructure, between now and 2027, we will need to raise 195,000 classrooms across the nation.

“We will install 28,000 toilets, and 22,900 boreholes across other schools in the country.

“We will construct about 7,000 new classrooms and provide learning and teaching materials by organising 103 million textbooks,” he said.

Alausa hinged the current proliferation of universities on the increasing pressure being mounted by lawmakers.

He said almost 200 bills were pending in the National Assembly for the creation of universities.

Alausa explained that renewing the capacities of existing institutions was more important than establishing new ones.

According to him, there is no need to put pressure on the president to establish new universities.

“We must focus on our capacities. We need to stop this from happening. There’s so much pressure on the president.

“We have to at least be sensitive to it as well. They (lawmakers) are passing a lot of bills.

“Today, there are almost 200 bills in the National Assembly. We can’t continue this.

“Even though we have a lot of them, the capacity for a university to admit is not there.

“What we need to do now is to rebuild the capacities so that we can offer more viable courses to our citizens,” he said.

The minister added that the enrollment rate was not commensurate with the recent number of universities.

“If you look at the entire enrollment together, the one per cent of private universities account for just 7.5 per cent of total undergraduate enrollment.

“The total number of undergraduate enrollment today is just about 875,000, which is at least fairly low.

“We have universities with less than 1,000 undergraduate students, and there’s this intense demand for more universities to be opened.

“We have to stop that,” he said.

He added that several key proposals had been put forward to address education sector challenges.

He added that the Tinubu Administration has committed N40 billion to the abandoned National Library of Nigeria project.

The minister said work on the library project would soon commence, adding that this would support academic and research needs.

Others who attended the briefing include Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President, Mr. Bayo Onanuga; Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation, Mr. Sunday Dare, and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Publicity and Special Duties, Mr. Tunde Rahaman.

Heads of agencies in the Ministry of Information and National Orientation – News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Voice of Nigeria (VON), National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Federal Radio Cooperation of Nigeria (FRCN) – were also there.

News

Why LASG Suspends Land Reclamation Projects Across The State

Wahab also warned that the State government will effect the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved and or are found on the site of such illegality after the expiration of the 7 days warning.

Published

on

By

20 Views

The Lagos State Government on Thursday directed the immediate suspension of all reclamation projects across the state with or without Environmental Impact Assessment EIA approval and drainage clearance.

The directive was given in a statement signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.

According to him, all approved Reclamation Projects across the State must be submitted for proper Documentation and Monitoring, while all on-going and intending ones must be subjected to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process with issuance of Approval and Drainage Clearance from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

He warned that failure to comply with this directive within the next 7 DAYS will leave the Ministry with no other option than to deploy appropriate machineries to decommission the reclaimed sites including excavation and removal of fill and reconnecting of already blocked water channels on the Lagoon amongst others.

Wahab also warned that the State government will effect the arrest and prosecution of anyone involved and or are found on the site of such illegality after the expiration of the 7 days warning.

He expressed grave concern about the proliferation of reclamation activities on Wetlands, Floodplains and the Lagoons across the State.

He identified locations where such acts are prevalent to include Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, other parts of Ikoyi, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Ikorodu, Oworonshoki, Lagos Mainland, Ojo and Badagry axis, without consideration of the adverse impacts on the environment and the wellbeing and safety of the good people of the State.

The Commissioner stressed that indiscriminate reclamation projects are being executed without requisite Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Approvals and Drainage Clearance from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

He emphasised that while reclamation may provide space for Housing and Infrastructure redevelopment, it also poses significant Environmental and Social risks including increased vulnerability to flooding, coastal erosion, disruption of livelihood (especially fishing), loss of wetlands and biodiversity, constriction of the Lagoons and their capacity, impairment of water quality amongst others.

He stated that with the low-lying topography of Lagos State and its fragile ecosystem, the State Government cannot afford to allow this indiscriminate reclamation of the Lagoons, Wetlands and floodplains to continue unabated.

Signed Kunle AdeshinaDirector of Public AffairsMOE&WRSeptember 18, 2025

Continue Reading

Business

Afriland Fire: United Capital Confirms Death of Six Staff, Death Toll Rises to 10

Published

on

30 Views

Financial services firm, United Capital Plc, has confirmed the death of six of its employees in the tragic fire that engulfed Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island, on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

This announcement brings the official death toll to ten, following an earlier confirmation by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) that four of its staff also died in the incident.

The fire, which broke out just before 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, tore through the six-storey commercial building, housing several offices and businesses, leaving widespread devastation and loss in its wake.

In an official statement released on Thursday, United Capital expressed deep sorrow over the loss of its staff.

“It is with profound grief that the Management and Staff of United Capital Plc announce the passing of six of our dear colleagues, following the tragic fire at Afriland Towers,” the statement read.

“Our departed colleagues were an integral part of our company and family. Their painful loss leaves an immeasurable void.”

The company extended its heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the deceased, assuring them of continued support during this difficult time. Plans are underway for a memorial service to honour the victims.

United Capital also expressed appreciation to emergency responders for their swift intervention during the incident.

“In this moment of untold grief, we stand together in solidarity, drawing strength from one another as we navigate this period. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.”

Authorities are continuing investigations to determine the cause of the fire.

Continue Reading

News

NNPC Trading Limited MD appointed as Nigeria’s OPEC representative

We congratulate Maryamu Idris, Managing Director of NNPC Trading Limited, on her appointment as the National Representative for Nigeria at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Published

on

By

27 Views

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Trading Limited says that its Managing Director, Maryamu Idris , has been appointed as Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

NNPCL announced the development on its X handle on Wednesday, and said Idris’s new role marks a pivotal step in representing Nigeria’s interests within the influential cartel of oil-producing nations.

“We congratulate Maryamu Idris, Managing Director of NNPC Trading Limited, on her appointment as the National Representative for Nigeria at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),” the statement read.

The corporation hailed her achievements in many capacities in the oil sector.

Maryamu’s extensive experience in the energy sector includes leading Pricing and Valuation efforts within NNPC’s Crude Oil Marketing Division and serving as a Technical Advisor to Nigeria’s OPEC Delegation.

She also played a foundational role in Nigeria’s engagement with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and contributed to oil sector reforms through her work with the Bureau of Public Enterprises and the Oil and Gas Implementation Committee (OGIC).

Continue Reading

Trending