The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its renewed focus on technical and vocational education, describing it as a significant shift in Nigeria’s educational development.
Speaking in Abuja during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Prof. Bugaje declared that the past two years under Tinubu have marked a turning point for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country. He described the current administration’s support for TVET as the most robust and impactful the sector has received since the end of the Nigerian Civil War.
“These two years have been the best for TVET in the history of Nigeria since after the civil war,” Bugaje said. “Before the war, we had many innovations and serious attention given to the sector, but the oil boom of the 1970s changed all that. We lost focus and neglected skill-based education for decades. It is only now that the federal government is beginning to give TVET the attention it truly deserves.”
Prof. Bugaje also gave credit to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, for spearheading reforms and introducing progressive policies that are reshaping technical education. He acknowledged that he initially doubted the appointment of a medical doctor to oversee the education ministry but said he later came to appreciate Alausa’s hands-on perspective on skills training.
“At first, I was expecting someone with a background in architecture or engineering,” he said. “But I’ve come to realise that medical training is also practical and rigorous, and that experience has shaped Dr. Alausa’s deep appreciation for technical education.”
Bugaje expressed optimism that the current pace of reforms and investments in the sector will be sustained in the coming years. According to him, if the current momentum continues for at least six more years, Nigeria’s TVET system could be solidified as a strong foundation for national industrialisation and economic growth.
He urged stakeholders to rally behind the government’s efforts and help entrench a culture of skills development that can meet the demands of the 21st-century workforce.
