The Federal Government has disclosed that nearly 250,000 Nigerians are currently undergoing skills training across more than 1,200 accredited centres nationwide, with each trainee receiving a monthly stipend of N30,000.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, made this known during an engagement with the House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education chaired by Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, where he briefed the committee on the implementation of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.
Alausa said the latest TVET application portal recorded nearly 1.4 million applications within two weeks, surpassing the 1.3 million applications received during the first cohort within ten days.
He described the surge as evidence of growing public interest in technical and vocational education as a pathway to employment and entrepreneurship.
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support for the education sector, noting that the administration had renewed national attention to TVET as a strategic investment in human capital development and economic growth, with focus on equipping young Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant skills.
On funding, the Minister explained that in addition to the N30,000 monthly stipend to trainees, accredited training centres receive N50,000 per student monthly to support training delivery.
He said biometric attendance verification had been introduced to strengthen accountability and ensure that public funds were tied to actual participation.
The minister added that initial payment delays caused by the implementation of the system had been resolved and payments to trainees and centres were up to date as of September.
He said the admission process was transparent and merit-based, with applicants applying through a centralised online portal and providing their National Identification Number and biometric details for verification, while allocation of slots considered geographical representation across states and local governments.
Alausa said the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) was responsible for verifying centres seeking accreditation and only those that met prescribed requirements were approved to safeguard training standards.
He added that beneficiaries would receive starter packs and relevant equipment upon completion of training, citing tailoring and electrical installation as examples where graduates would get tools to immediately start earning a living.
Beyond conventional trades, he disclosed that the Federal Government was supporting a Digital Technology Academy currently training 36,000 Nigerians in software development, cybersecurity, natural language processing, IT automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing, with access to international platforms and certifications from Coursera, Google and IBM.
The Minister also said education in federal technical colleges and one designated state technical college in each state was now free, with the Federal Government bearing training costs to reduce financial barriers.
Providing enrolment breakdown, he said Bauchi State had 4,888 trainees across 50 accredited centres including 520 in Katagum, Akwa Ibom had 5,885 trainees across 57 centres, Kogi had 5,144 trainees across 42 centres, while Katsina had about 1,800 trainees in eight newly established centres adopted into the programme.
He also highlighted rehabilitation of technical education infrastructure in the Federal Capital Territory and capacity building for instructors, including a train-the-trainer programme in Lagos with experts from the Singapore Institute of Technical Education.
Alausa acknowledged the need for more regular engagement with the National Assembly and assured the committee that the Ministry would provide detailed statistics on enrolment and centres.
He called on lawmakers to support the programme by raising awareness and visiting accredited centres in their constituencies to monitor implementation.
In his remarks, Chairman of the House Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, described the engagement as fruitful and reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Ministry and sustaining effective oversight.