NCDMB, Jake Riley empower 250 youths with technical, digital skills

Nigerian youths have been urged to embrace skills acquisition as a viable pathway to self-reliance and national development.

 The Director, Capacity Building, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Abayomi Bamidele, an engineer, made this known at the graduation ceremony of over 250 industry-ready youths who recently completed month-long intensive training programme to equip them with full range of skills designed to enable them become self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to the industrial development of the country, in Lagos, yesterday.

 The training programme was sponsored by the NCDMB in partnership with Jake Riley Academy as part of a joint commitment by the partners to youth empowerment and sustainable skills development.

 Bamidele, who was represented by the Supervisor, Marine Vessel Categorisation and Technical Assistant to the Director, John Barigha, urged the graduands to take full advantage of the opportunity, stressing that their success would largely depend on how effectively they apply the skills acquired. He urged beneficiaries to utilise the starter packs given to them effectively, cautioning against selling the equipment provided.

 “We are not giving you fish; we are teaching you how to fish. What we have given you today is the net. It is now left for you to make meaningful use of it,” Barigha said, stressing that the Board invested heavily to ensure the programme delivered lasting impact.

 In her keynote, the Chief Executive Officer, Jake Riley Limited, Mrs Funmi Ogbue, described the graduation as a defining moment for the young Nigerians, describing it as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future, noting that NCDMB continues to demonstrate that human capital development is central to national growth.

 According to her, the programme reflected NCDMB’s expanding role in local content development, with youth empowerment central to economic transformation.

  “Today celebrates not just achievement, but a national vision positioning young people as drivers of Nigeria’s economic future,” Ogbue said.

 She further noted that the initiative as a strategic human capital investment aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s inclusive growth agenda as the training prioritised market-ready skills capable of generating immediate income across growth sectors.