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By Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Francis Onyedikachukwu
When Mercy Itunig enrolled at a fashion academy in Abuja, she had no idea that a sewing machine would become an instrument of economic independence, creativity and entrepreneurship. Today, she is not only a fashion design graduate but also the founder of a fashion brand she established before completing her training.
Her transformation from a beginner who struggled with garment construction to a designer capable of producing couture dresses and streetwear illustrates the growing importance of practical skills in a country where formal qualifications do not always translate into employment.
At the graduation and fashion exhibition of the fashion academy, Mercy stood proudly beside her creations, including a jacket she designed and made herself. For her, the occasion was not simply about receiving a certificate but demonstrating how acquiring a practical skill could open doors to self-employment.
“When I came here, there were lots of things I couldn’t do. But today, I can actually make really amazing couture dresses. I can make streetwears. So it’s not just limited to a particular thing,” she said.
Her experience captures the central message of the academy’s founder and creative director, Blessing Ugwuodo Nzeih, who believes that skills can provide young Nigerians with opportunities to earn a living, regardless of their educational qualifications, age or background.
For Nzeih, the ability to create something marketable with one’s hands can be a powerful alternative for young people who might otherwise spend years searching for jobs.
“Skill is actually higher, more powerful than a certificate. You can have your certificate and you’re looking for a job for five years. So it breaks my heart when I see a young graduate looking for jobs, and there’s so much we can do,” she said.
Her conviction is rooted in her own experience. Although she trained and worked as a journalist, she had nurtured a passion for fashion since childhood, when she watched her cousin transform pieces of fabric into beautiful garments using a sewing machine.
That childhood fascination eventually became a mission to equip others with practical skills and the ability to achieve financial independence. Eight years ago, she established Springfield with three team members, three sewing machines and a vision to empower people through fashion.
What began as a modest initiative has grown into an academy that trains children and adults, including women, widows, persons with disabilities and people without formal education.
The graduation ceremony provided an opportunity to see the results of that investment in practical training. Students who arrived without the ability to operate sewing machines were now producing finished garments, developing personal styles and, in some cases, establishing their own businesses.
“We received them as people who never touched a sewing machine. They didn’t know how to try the machine. They didn’t know how to sew. And in just a few months, they are experts. Some of them have started their brands,” Nzeih said.
For her, the significance of the achievement lies in what the graduates can now do with their skills, rather than the certificates they will receive.
“At Springfield, we don’t just prepare them for leadership roles. Normally, people think that what made you learn fashion is that all you’re ever going to be is a tailor. That’s not true. There are a thousand things you can do with a skill,” she said.
The academy’s training extends beyond sewing, cutting and garment construction. Students are also taught the business of fashion, equipping them with the knowledge to price their products, market their creations, establish brands and use digital platforms to reach customers.
For Mercy, this combination of technical and business training has already begun to make a difference.
“This academy did not just teach us how to sew. We have a course called Business of Fashion. We are taught how to price our items, how to market our products and how to utilise our social media platforms to push our products,” she said.
The knowledge has enabled her to establish Ivela Design while still a student and showcase her products at the graduation exhibition.
“I have my brand, Ivela Design. My brand is already up and running. Even here today, I have some of my pieces upstairs on display. This school has empowered me to believe that my creative ability is marketable,” she said.
Her experience demonstrates how vocational training can help bridge the gap between learning a skill and establishing a business. However, it also exposes the difficulties that confront young entrepreneurs attempting to turn their newly acquired abilities into sustainable livelihoods.
While preparing garments for the exhibition, Mercy struggled with unreliable electricity. Her sewing machine depended on power, and without a generator, she could not work consistently.
“The electricity wasn’t good at that time, so I couldn’t produce more pieces to bring here. I had to work more at night when I was supposed to be sleeping because that was when light was made available for me,” she said.
Her experience underscores the limitations of skills training when graduates lack the infrastructure and financial resources needed to put their knowledge to productive use.
She called on the government to improve electricity supply and provide grants and business development opportunities for young entrepreneurs, arguing that access to funding would enable them to expand their operations.
“Funding for small businesses, grants, because as small businesses, sometimes, like me, my main support is my spouse, my husband. So there’s a limit I can go. But when the government gives us grants, it actually pushes the business,” she said.
Nzeih shares her concerns, arguing that government empowerment programmes should prioritise organisations that have demonstrated their ability to equip people with practical skills.
Although the academy has operated without government sponsorship, it has continued to train people from different social and educational backgrounds. Nzeih said more Nigerians could benefit if the government supported such initiatives rather than concentrating empowerment efforts on the distribution of equipment.
“This empowerment that everybody is shouting about on television, can we bring it down to the people? Can we bring it to people who really empower the people?” she asked.
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She also expressed concern about the financial demands placed on small businesses, citing annual levies imposed by the Abuja Municipal Area Council as an additional burden on enterprises already struggling with operational costs.
For Nzeih, practical skills offer young people an opportunity to begin building livelihoods without waiting for government employment or financial assistance.
“You have your phone. You buy data. Showcase what you’re doing. The world is waiting for you. If people see what you’re doing, they will patronise you,” she said.
Her emphasis on skills as a route to economic independence resonated with guests at the graduation ceremony, including Dr Sani Gwazo, a former permanent secretary in the Federal Ministries of Industry and Humanitarian Affairs.
Gwazo, who had spent much of his public service career working on empowerment programmes, described the academy’s activities as an example of how individuals and private organisations could invest directly in people at the grassroots.
“I’m really very happy and proud of what I’ve seen. This is something we’ve had in the past to see rolling out at grassroots level, at community level, beyond the reach of government, where individuals and the private sector invest directly in the people,” he said.
He was particularly impressed by the participation of young children in fashion training, noting that the ability to acquire practical skills at an early age could create opportunities for them in the future.
“There is no empowerment that is as good as giving people skills,” he said.
Gwazo’s position was shared by Senator Ben Obi, who described the students’ creativity and confidence as evidence of the value of vocational training in preparing young Nigerians for the challenges of economic life.
He called for government support for institutions such as Springfield, arguing that their expansion could enable more young people to acquire skills and pursue self-employment.
“I must confess that I’m very pleased and impressed with what I have seen here this afternoon, with the creativity that has been put on display by the Springfield Fashion Academy,” Obi said.
He added that government assistance could enable the academy to establish branches across the country, extending practical training opportunities to more communities.
However, acquiring skills and establishing businesses are only part of the challenge. Graduates also need access to customers willing to purchase their products if their new abilities are to translate into sustainable incomes.
Muhammad Saini Garba, executive chairman of Black Origin Export Company, argued that Nigeria’s large population offered a substantial market for locally produced garments, provided Nigerians and public institutions deliberately patronised domestic designers.
He recalled Springfield’s participation in showcasing Nigerian-made products through his organisation and said that local patronage was essential to sustaining the businesses of trained entrepreneurs.
“We should be sewing our own uniforms. We have the population. Public schools, we should make it mandatory for all private schools to use our own homemade uniforms, or else, when you create the jobs and there is no patronage, then a lot of window is left there,” he said.
He questioned the effectiveness of distributing sewing machines without creating demand for the garments produced by their recipients.
“If you give me a tailoring machine and I learn how to sew, and you are not patronising my end product, even a school uniform, then we have a long way to go,” he said.
His argument highlights the importance of linking vocational training to market opportunities, particularly for young entrepreneurs who may possess the technical ability to produce garments but lack the resources to promote and sell them.
Namure Edomioye, another guest at the ceremony, also called for greater investment in the fashion industry, noting that Nigerian designers could contribute to the economy through local production, tourism and exports.
She urged the graduates to continue improving their skills and embrace innovation in an industry where creativity is essential.
“They should continue to thrive in all they do. Of course, they won’t give up. They’ll also continue to train and retrain themselves, unlearn and relearn,” she said.
Beyond fashion, Nzeih believes that the lessons from Springfield can be applied to other vocational fields. She maintains that young people should not wait until they secure formal employment before learning practical skills that could provide an alternative source of income.
Her academy also challenges the assumption that vocational education is reserved for people without formal qualifications. By training educated and uneducated people, adults and children, Springfield seeks to demonstrate that the acquisition of skills is relevant at different stages of life.
The academy’s youngest trainees, some barely six years old, are particularly important to Nzeih, who believes that creativity should be nurtured early rather than dismissed because of age.
She said the ability to create and innovate was not restricted by gender or educational background, urging the graduates to use their training to build their own opportunities.
“Do not play small. You have been prepared to know that you can do anything. You can do more,” she told them.
For Mercy and her fellow graduates, the real test begins after the celebration. Their ability to transform their skills into viable businesses will depend on their creativity, determination and access to the resources needed to compete in the fashion industry.
Mercy’s experience already illustrates both the promise and the difficulties of that journey. She has acquired the skills to produce garments and established a brand, but unreliable electricity and limited funding continue to restrict her production capacity.
Nevertheless, her transformation from a novice to a fashion entrepreneur offers a glimpse of what practical training can achieve when technical knowledge is combined with business education.
For Springfield’s graduates, the sewing machine is no longer simply a tool for making clothes. It has become a means of creating opportunities, earning a living and pursuing financial independence.
Their stories also raise a broader question about the place of vocational education in Nigeria’s response to unemployment: how many more young people could become economically productive if practical skills were treated not as a last resort but as a viable pathway to building sustainable livelihoods?
