…say vocational, technical training will bridge gap between classroom learning, employable skills
By Gloria Ikibah
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas has said that alternative education is the brain child borne out of necessity. 
The Speaker stated this at a one-day public hearing on four bills seeking to establish vocational and skills acquisition training centres across different parts of Nigeria, organised by the House Committee on Alternative Education on Monday in Abuja.
The Speaker who was represented by Rep. Paul Nnamchi, stated that vocational, technical and entrepreneurship is the needed bridge between educational qualifications and skills for national development.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Committee Chairman, Rep. Ibrahim Al-Mustapha Aliyu, member representing Wurno/Rabah Federal Constituency of Sokoto State, said the Committee was determined to make the alternative education sector a credible path for lifelong learning and employment generation, noting that the public hearing was designed to gather experts and stakeholders’s input for effective implementation.
The Chairman described the initiative as a bold step toward addressing unemployment, promoting entrepreneurship, and strengthening Nigeria’s human capital base through practical education.
Rep. Almustapha commended Speaker Abbas for his foresight in establishing, for the first time, the Committee on Alternative Education to bridge the gap for millions of Nigerians without access to formal education.
He said: “Vocational training and entrepreneurial skill acquisition are fundamental drivers of national development.
“Nigeria’s youthful population remains a valuable asset that must be empowered through skills training and alternative education for self-sufficiency and national progress.
“The Committee is determined to make the alternative education sector a credible path for lifelong learning and employment generation, noting that the public hearing was designed to gather expert and stakeholder input for effective implementation”.
In his submission on the bills, representative of the Executive Director South East Development Commission (SEDC), Ifejika Sunday reiterated the commitment of the commission to any initiative that promote technical education.
He said the commission was in support of the establishment of vocational and entrepreneurship educational institutions as it aligns with its establishment mandate.
Some key stakeholders like the National Commission for Almajri Education (NCAE), People of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom and Mbaise Community supported the establishment of these educational institutions.
However. representative of the Nigeria Non Governmental Association for Literacy Support Services (NOGALSS), Director Special Initiatives (NOGALSS), Princess Stephanie Osa- Osaghae called for the inclusion of NOGALSS on the board of the proposed Federal Vocational and Skill Acquisition Centres adding such will guarantee broad based participation and effective coordination.
The four bills under consideration include:
“A Bill for an Act to Establish the South East Institute for Vocational and Entrepreneurial Studies, Umuobum, Imo State (sponsored by Hon. Ikeagwuonu Onyinye Ugochinyere — HB.2263);
“A Bill for an Act to Establish the Federal Institute of Technical Education and Skills Acquisition, Mbaise, Imo State (sponsored by Hon. Chinedu Emeka Martins — HB.2342);
“A Bill for an Act to Establish the Federal College of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition, Ilorin West, Kwara State (sponsored by Hon. Muktar Tolani Shagaya — HB.554); and
“A Bill for an Act to Establish the National Institute for Vocational and Entrepreneurial Studies, Agadagba-Obon, Ese-Odo, Ondo State (sponsored by Hon. Donald Kimikanboh Ojogo — HB.2033).
The event brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, industry, and professional bodies, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), to deliberate on the proposed legislative frameworks aimed at boosting technical education and youth empowerment.
