Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has expressed concern over the growing rate of underemployment among Nigerian youth, attributing the issue to a widespread lack of technical and vocational skills essential for today’s workforce.

Speaking through his representative, Auwal Gwadabe (PDP, Bauchi), during a public hearing held by the House Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education in Abuja on Wednesday, Abbas said approximately 55% of Nigeria’s young population are underutilised due to skill deficiencies.

He stressed that to reverse this trend, technical training and hands-on skill acquisition must be prioritised to equip the youth for evolving labour market demands. The Speaker added that the success of modern economies hinges on investments in scientific, technological, and vocational education.

He said, “The main objective of establishing these higher technical institutions is to expand options for access to quality higher technical and vocational education for the Nigerian youth whose future development is negatively impacted by the absence of adequate provision of access to gain higher educational qualifications in technical and vocational education.

“Available statistics indicate that about 55 per cent of our youth are either unemployed or underemployed due to a shortage of practical and technical skills demanded by today’s labour market.”

Following the emergence of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning and Big Data, the Speaker said theoretical knowledge is no longer enough to compete in today’s labour market.

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“We must, therefore, equip our youth with practical skills that will enable them to thrive in an ever-evolving, technologically driven job market and be up to date with the trends in the tech ecosystem.

“The 10th House, ‘The People’s House’, is a responsive institution that recognises the critical importance of technical education as a key driver in actualising our national economic reform and growth.

“It is for this reason that we,  through our 10th Legislative Agenda ensure that technical education in Nigeria must not only be qualitative, but also be accessible.”

The Chairman of the Committee, Kayode Laguda, said the bills are important because they seek to promote entrepreneurship studies and skill acquisition to empower Nigerians with skills to become employable, create jobs and excel anywhere, particularly in their various constituencies.

Sponsor of one of the bills, Solomon Wombo, said the proposed Federal College of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition in Zaki Biam, Benue State, is intended to bridge the gaps in entrepreneurship knowledge and skills.

He said, “This initiative is critical for several reasons. Beyond optimising our human and natural resources for productivity and catalysing social change, it is a key driver of innovation. The bill outlines a skills-based curriculum aimed at equipping students for careers in industry, commerce, agriculture, and various vocations.

He noted that, more significantly, the concept of entrepreneurship incubation provided a strategic solution to the alarming rise in youth unemployment, along with the associated threats to political stability, social cohesion, and economic progress. According to him, the initiative was designed to enhance capacity and competence within the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, which he described as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy.