Follow Us on Google
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Jake Riley Academy, yesterday graduated 250 youths in different areas of skills acquisition, which included solar PV installation, digital marketing and social media, among others.
The initiative, tagged “NCDMB Fast Selling Skills Programme,” is part of NCDMB’s capacity-building initiative aimed at creating jobs and investing in Nigeria’s future prosperity.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jake Riley Limited, Mrs. Funmi Ogbue, explained that the programme existed because the NCDMB understands a fundamental truth: Nigeria’s greatest resource is not the oil beneath our soil, but the talent, creativity and potential of our young people.
She added that President Bola Tinubu has further charged young Nigerians to “build boldly, innovate courageously, scale fearlessly. You are the generation that will continue the task of building this nation.”
Ogbue added that the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has consistently emphasised the philosophy behind these training programmes. In his words: “We are not giving you fish; we are teaching you how to fish. What we have given you today is the net, and it is left for you to go into the sea and make meaningful use of it.”
On the selection process, the Jake Riley CEO said that from hundreds of applications, it conducted a comprehensive demand-driven survey to understand the aspirations and interests of the participants.
“We verified your eligibility—ensuring each candidate met our criteria of being between 18 and 35 years of age, possessing at least a Senior Secondary School Certificate, demonstrating basic numeracy and literacy, and, most importantly, showing a genuine commitment to vocational skills and entrepreneurship.
Other News
“We screened your documents, assessed your aptitude, and ultimately selected 250 determined young Nigerians—you—to participate in this transformative programme. You earned your place here. Remember that.”
Over the past weeks, she disclosed that participants have been immersed in intensive, hands-on training based on interests and aptitudes, before proceeding to specialised technical training across seven distinct tracks, with each track designed to give participants immediate marketable skills.
The areas of training include solar PV installation, fashion design and garment making, catering and food business, digital skills and freelancing, textile design and adire making, electrical installation, and GSM and phone repair.
Also speaking, the Director of Capacity Building at NCDMB, Mr. Bamidele Abayomi, charged the participants to be diligent and put customer service first, above money.
He said the investment of the Board is to ensure that youth unemployment is urgently addressed because the youths are the future of tomorrow.
He warned the participants against the temptation of trading their starter packs for money, saying the handling of those tools will determine how far they will go in their trade.
“We have seen situations in the past where we distributed starter packs to trainees, and right there, before leaving the venue of the programme, some of the trainees were already trading their tools in exchange for money.”
