The Federal Government has expressed its commitment to train and provide job opportunities for Nigerian youths through the National Artisans Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP). The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, disclosed this when he received a delegation from the University of Uyo Centre for Skills Acquisition and Rural Development led by its Director, Ambassador Ernest Essien.
Ata stated that the Ministry is ready to collaborate with the Centre to equip Nigerians with relevant skills and resources needed to bridge the labour gap across the country. He said, “We are going to continue to interact with you so that we work on areas of common grounds. The Ministry will assist you as we factor your needs into our 2026 budget so that we can provide all the necessary assistance and support to carry out this project.”
The Minister commended the Centre for its comprehensive skills development and acquisition programmes, describing them as being in line with the Ministry’s NASAP initiative, which aims to produce skilled workers for the nation’s labour market. According to him, the Federal Government remains committed to empowering young Nigerians by giving them access to training, digital certification, and employment opportunities in key sectors such as construction, housing, and infrastructure development.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, said the Centre’s youth empowerment and training initiatives align with NASAP’s goal of supporting the Ministry’s broader mandate of providing affordable housing and promoting infrastructural growth nationwide. He emphasized that both parties would identify a common platform to collaborate and advance youth employment, skill acquisition, and job creation in Nigeria.
Earlier, Ambassador Ernest Essien, the Director of the University of Uyo Centre for Skills Acquisition and Rural Development, said the delegation’s visit was aimed at seeking a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on skill acquisition and job creation, especially in Akwa Ibom State.
He commended the Federal Government for supporting Nigerians from various backgrounds through capacity-building and technical training that enhance their employability and competitiveness in the labour market. Essien noted that the Ministry’s focus on mass housing and infrastructural development requires a strong base of skilled manpower to achieve its goals.
“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is focusing on housing and infrastructural expansion and needs skilled and reliable workforce towards its national projects, and that is where we are coming in,” Essien said. “We are proposing to come in to create that skilled workforce through tertiary artisan students. This is to ensure that graduates are certified and ready to contribute to the Ministry’s goal.”
He further added, “We appreciate and commend the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for initiating to train and digitally certify and integrate ten thousand construction artisans annually with job opportunities over a three-year period.”