The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has commenced a five-day skills acquisition programme for 120 youths in Lokoja, Kogi State, to equip them with practical electrical installation and maintenance skills and prepare them for self-employment.\n<\/p>\n
The programme, known as Skills Acquisition Training and Youth Empowerment (SATYE), began on Monday at Reverton Hotel in Lokoja and will run until Friday, October 23, 2026.\n<\/p>\n
It is designed to help participants acquire marketable skills, establish businesses and generate income through practical technical services.\n<\/p>\n
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Engr. Abdulmalik Onuwe Ibrahim, Director of Research at NASENI, who represented the agency\u2019s Executive Vice Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, urged participants to take the training seriously and make the most of the opportunity to develop skills for self-employment.\n<\/p>\n
He said the initiative reflected NASENI\u2019s commitment to human capacity development and aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2019s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises youth empowerment and economic inclusion.<\/p>\n
According to Ibrahim, the agency aims to take science, technology and engineering beyond laboratories and into homes, businesses and communities through practical training and technology-driven interventions.\n<\/p>\n
He added that NASENI\u2019s 3Cs framework of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation would guide its efforts to develop practical technologies, create jobs, support businesses and strengthen communities.\n<\/p>\n
Ibrahim disclosed that participants would receive starter kits at the end of the training to help them apply their newly acquired skills, set up their own businesses and begin earning income.\n<\/p>\n
The provision of starter kits is intended to help bridge the gap between skills training and starting a business, particularly for participants who may lack the equipment needed to offer electrical installation and maintenance services.\n<\/p>\n
In his remarks, the Maigari of Lokoja, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir Maikarfi IV, represented by the Matawalle of Lokoja, Alhaji Muhammed Adamu, called on federal and state governments to revive technical colleges across the country to strengthen technical and vocational education.<\/p>\n
He said limited access to technical education was hindering Nigeria\u2019s technological development and stressed the importance of institutions that provide practical and vocational training.\n<\/p>\n
Some beneficiaries, including Umar Hawa from Angwan Kura and Abdullahi Ahmed from the Cantonment area of Lokoja, thanked NASENI for selecting them for the programme. They said the training offered an opportunity to acquire useful skills, improve their economic prospects and become more self-reliant.\n<\/p>\n
NASENI\u2019s Deputy Director of Information, Chima Akwaja, also commended the participants and traditional rulers for their support and cooperation.\n<\/p>\n
Through the SATYE programme, NASENI is seeking to equip young people with practical technical skills that could support self-employment, encourage small business creation and improve access to skilled electrical services in their communities.\n<\/p>\n