By Fatima Ndagi
Faced with rising youth unemployment and a widening skills gap, the House of Representatives is taking bold legislative steps to reposition technical education as a gateway to job creation and economic self-reliance.
At a public hearing held in Abuja on Wednesday, lawmakers rallied behind three key bills that aim to establish specialized technical and vocational institutions across Nigeria. The goal: to equip the country’s teeming youth population with hands-on skills and entrepreneurial tools for the 21st-century economy.
Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda (APC–Lagos), described the effort as a strategic move to future-proof Nigeria’s workforce.
“These schools will serve as innovation hubs where young people can build real-world skills and create value in their communities,” Laguda said. “We must invest in institutions that prepare our youth not just to look for jobs—but to create them.”
The proposed institutions include:
Federal College of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition, Zaki Biam, Benue State – Sponsored by Rep. Solomon Wombo.
National Institute for Technical and Vocational Education, Bogoro, Bauchi State – Sponsored by Rep. Jafaru Leko.
Federal Vocational and Skills Acquisition College, Ilaro, Ogun State – Sponsored by Rep. Abiodun Akinlade.
Opening the hearing, Speaker of the House, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, represented by Rep. Auwal Gwadabe, called for a decisive shift towards skills-based education, noting that more than 55% of Nigerian youth are either unemployed or underemployed due to a mismatch between formal education and labor market demands.
“It is time to align our education system with the realities of the digital and industrial age,” the Speaker declared. “AI, robotics, and data science are rewriting the rules of work. Our youths must be equipped not just with certificates but with the competencies to thrive.”
The Speaker reaffirmed the House’s commitment to technical education through its 10th Legislative Agenda and stressed that these new institutions would become “launchpads for innovation, productivity, and inclusive growth.”
By anchoring technical education to national development goals, lawmakers hope to empower a new generation of technicians, innovators, and entrepreneurs—capable of building a self-sufficient, globally competitive Nigeria.