The Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, has graduated about 915 participants under its National Skills Qualification (NSQ) programme, with stakeholders urging Nigerian youths to embrace practical skills acquisition as a pathway to self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.
The call was made on Wednesday, during the maiden certificate award ceremony of the institution’s Skill Development Centre, organised in conjunction with the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) at the Atiku Abubakar Hall. Speaking at the event themed “Skills, the Bedrock of Development,” the NBTE Southwest Zonal Director, Dr John Onyebuchi, said the NSQ programme was designed to expand access to technical and vocational education beyond conventional ND and HND programmes.
The Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr Temitope Alake, said the graduation represented more than academic achievement, describing it as a celebration of perseverance, discipline and vision. He urged the graduates to utilise the skills acquired to create value and contribute to national development, while clarifying that the certificates were issued under the relevant skills certification framework and were not conventional Polytechnic certificates.
The Director of the Skill Development Centre, Dr Fajilade Olawamide, said the centre had trained and certified hundreds of students and artisans in various skills, urging the graduates to regard their certificates as a starting point for further learning and practice. The keynote speaker, Dr Olapade Olalusi, also encouraged the beneficiaries to deploy their skills to solve problems and build sustainable livelihoods, while the Ekiti State Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Adetunji Lawrence Aribasoye, pledged to support selected poultry trainees with practical training and ₦200,000 start-up assistance for the best-performing beneficiaries.
Some of the graduates, including Jegede Solomon Tosi, who trained in electrical installation, and Salako, a poultry production trainee, said the programme equipped them with practical knowledge and renewed their confidence to pursue self-employment. The organisers urged the beneficiaries to continue upgrading their skills, explore available opportunities and avoid waiting indefinitely for white-collar employment.
