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Zeberced Group to Train 20,000 Nigerians in Technical and Vocational Skills, Create 40,000 Direct Jobs
…Plans FIFA-approved children’s and youth football academy
Zeberced Group has unveiled an ambitious investment programme that will train 20,000 Nigerians through a world-class Technical and Vocational Training School while creating no fewer than 40,000 direct jobs, in what it describes as one of the largest skills development and industrial empowerment initiatives in West Africa.
The company also announced plans to establish a FIFA-approved football academy for children and young people to identify, nurture and develop football talents for national and international opportunities.
The Managing Director of Zeberced Group, Mr. Adil Aydin Kurt, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, led by its Chairman, Comrade Grace Ike, to the company’s facilities at the Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone, where both organisations explored opportunities for strategic collaboration.
Speaking during the meeting, Mr. Kurt revealed that the proposed Technical and Vocational Training School would admit and train about 2,000 young Nigerians annually in various technical fields, with a projection of producing approximately 20,000 skilled graduates over the coming years.
He said the initiative would simultaneously create about 40,000 direct jobs, describing it as a transformational project designed to address unemployment, strengthen Nigeria’s industrial workforce and promote entrepreneurship.
“Zeberced is currently working on a vocational training school which will offer training in various fields to young Nigerians and, in the process, provide 40,000 direct jobs. This is going to be a sample project and is presently the biggest operation of its kind in West Africa,” Mr. Kurt said.
According to the architectural design of the institution, the school will offer specialised training in Construction Technology, Machine and Design Technology, Motor Vehicle Technology, Plumbing Technology, Metal Technology, Furniture Technology, and Electrical and Electronics Technology.
Mr. Kurt said the institution is being developed to equip Nigerian youths with practical, industry-relevant skills that will prepare them for employment, self-reliance and entrepreneurship.
Reaffirming the company’s confidence in Nigeria’s future, he said Zeberced remains committed to long-term investments that will accelerate skills acquisition, industrialisation and human capital development.
“We are very serious about our work. I have many ideas and visions to share. We need to bring qualified people from different parts of the world to Nigeria because the future is Africa,” he stated.
Beyond technical education, Mr. Kurt disclosed that Zeberced Group is also developing a FIFA-approved football academy dedicated to discovering and grooming talented children and young people for professional football careers at both local and international levels.
He further revealed that the company operates what he described as Africa’s first integrated mining quarry of its kind while continuing to expand investments across manufacturing, construction and other strategic sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Outlining the company’s broader industrial vision, the Managing Director said Zeberced plans to facilitate the establishment of hundreds of factories within the Idu Industrial Area to boost local manufacturing, create employment opportunities and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported products.
According to him, the industrial development project, which commenced about 15 years ago, has faced several challenges but has continued to make steady progress through resilience and sustained investment.
He explained that the company’s investments in manufacturing, furniture production, plastics and related industries, supported by modern infrastructure and state-of-the-art equipment, would significantly contribute to Nigeria’s industrial transformation.
Mr. Kurt stressed that Zeberced’s corporate philosophy is anchored on creating sustainable value for Nigeria through strategic investments, technology transfer, skills development and large-scale job creation.
Responding, the Chairman of the NUJ FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, commended Zeberced Group for its commitment to youth empowerment, skills acquisition and national development.
She described the company’s proposed vocational training institution and industrial expansion as timely interventions capable of addressing unemployment, promoting self-reliance among young Nigerians and supporting the country’s economic diversification agenda.
Comrade Ike also briefed the company’s management on the Council’s ongoing ultra-modern Congress Hall project, which has reached the decking stage.
She appealed for Zeberced Group’s support towards the completion of the facility, explaining that the Congress Hall would provide a permanent venue for congresses, professional engagements, training programmes and other official activities of the NUJ FCT Council.
In response, Mr. Kurt expressed Zeberced Group’s willingness to support the project, reaffirming the company’s commitment to partnerships that strengthen institutions and contribute to national development.
The visit concluded with both organisations expressing optimism about building a strategic relationship that would promote industrial growth, youth development, professional capacity building and sustainable socio-economic development in Nigeria.
Zeberced Group has maintained operations in Nigeria since 2007, with investments spanning manufacturing, construction, industrial infrastructure and human capital development.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says more than 10 million vulnerable Nigerians who benefited from the N75,000 conditional cash transfer programme do not have access to mobile phones or social media.
Yilwatda disclosed this on Saturday while speaking with journalists after a three-day retreat of the APC National Executive Council in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The beneficiaries, whom he described as poor and vulnerable Nigerians, were largely unable to participate in public discussions about government policies because they lacked access to phones, television and social media.
“We have given 75,000 naira to over 10 million Nigerians across the country using the conditional cash transfer under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
“Mind you, these people who are poor and vulnerable don’t have telephones to make calls; they are not on social media. They don’t have a television. They cannot come and challenge and discuss as we are doing here, but they are out there,” he said.
Yilwatda also criticised former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over his position on the fuel subsidy.
“We are constructing roads and paying people that are working on the road site, and construction is going across the country,” he said.
“Over 30 states could not pay salaries and pensions. After we removed subsidies, all states can pay salaries and pensions, and no state is left behind.
“Today, if you return it, you are saying states shouldn’t pay salaries again. And what suffering are you bringing to Nigeria?”
The APC chairman also argued that a return to fuel subsidy would affect the government’s student loan scheme and other projects.
“The projects we’re doing across the country, like the coastal road and gas project to the north, which have passed Abuja, which are aimed at easing the suffering of Nigerians, will be suspended,” he said.
Yilwatda further accused Atiku of seeking to reverse the gains of the Tinubu administration in pursuit of the presidency, saying the APC and Nigerians would not accept such a move.
The APC chairman said the NEC retreat also reviewed the party’s activities at the national, state, local government, ward and polling-unit levels.
According to him, the party concluded that it remained strong and prepared for the 2027 general elections.
He said the NEC passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and other APC candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries for the 2027 elections.
Ivie Atuwatse III, wife of Ogiame Atuwatse III, the Olu of Warri, has opened up on the joys and challenges of being married to the traditional ruler, saying she takes pride in seeing people celebrate his achievements.
Ivie spoke in a recent interview with BBC News Pidgin, where she discussed life as the wife of the monarch and the demands that come with his position.
She said one of the things she enjoys most about the marriage is watching people appreciate her husband’s personality and achievements.
“The thing wey I like about being married to His Majesty is that, all the fame or the popularity wey him get, na say I get to see the world celebrate his genius, his swag also, cos me too I dey celebrate am,” she said.
“And when the world dey celebrate am, e dey ginger me more. I dey extremely proud of am as a human being, and to see that they also appreciate am dey give me much joy.”
However, Ivie admitted that the Olu’s responsibilities can sometimes make it difficult for her to have enough time with him.
“But on the other side, dem say food wey dey sweet sometimes flies dey like to chop from am,” she said.
“Sometimes e dey busy and it can be hard to want to share my husband with all the many different duties that he has, and so that can be equally difficult.”
She said they were learning to adjust to the demands of his position.
“And so, we are learning to navigate it because sometimes I just want him to myself,” she added.
The interviewer also asked whether she would accept another wife if the Olu changed his position on polygamy, having previously said he was not open to it.
Ivie dismissed the possibility, insisting that she was confident her husband would not change his mind.
“Firstly, His Majesty no go fit change him mind about polygamy. Make we just settle that one for there,” she said.
“Me alone, one me, I be like three women, so I dey alright for am.”
Old Trafford, Manchester United’s 74,000-capacity stadium, became a house of worship on Saturday as Nigerian pastor Jerry Eze led the NSPPD UK Prayer Conference, drawing believers from across Britain and beyond.
Hosted by Streams of Joy International, the conference brought together believers from across the United Kingdom and around the world for prayer, worship and fellowship.
Worshippers at the NSPPD UK Prayer Conference held at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Saturday. Photo: X / @AgborMoses34
Admission to the event was free, though attendees were encouraged to register in advance as places were limited.
Despite that, demand reportedly outstripped availability, with some social media users claiming the event was fully booked and turning to TikTok in the days leading up to the conference in search of spare tickets.
Worshippers during the NSPPD UK Prayer Conference at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Saturday. PHOTO: NSPPD/YouTube
Worshippers during the NSPPD UK Prayer Conference at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Saturday. PHOTO: NSPPD/YouTube
The gathering featured several well-known gospel ministers alongside Eze, including Sunmisola Agbebi, Mercy Chinwo, Dunsin Oyekan and Kaestrings.
Worshippers during the NSPPD UK Prayer Conference at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Saturday. PHOTO: NSPPD/YouTube
(Credit: Saturday PUNCH)
10m beneficiaries of cash transfers don’t have phones, not on social media – APC Chairman
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