Nation
Ministry Urges Schools To Equip Students With Skills, Trades
The Federal Ministry of Education has urged school owners to ensure that students get functional education inclusive of skills and trades that could be translated into means of livelihood in the future.
A Deputy Director, Senior Secondary Education Department in the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Achede Joseph, said this at the opening of Strategic Plan Meeting on Monday in Abuja.
The meeting, which focused on leveraging low cost education in Nigeria, was organised by Knosk #100 A-Day School in Kuje.
Joseph said the need for functional education could not be overemphasised, especially from early learning years.
“We, at the Federal Ministry of Education are no longer interested in just paper qualifications of graduates; we want children that will come out of school with skills.
“Education now goes beyond paper certification to acquisition of functional skills that could be translated into means of sustenance and livelihood.
“That is why we the federal ministry of education are empowering the federal colleges especially the federal technical schools.
“By properly equipping these schools so that our children will not just come out with just paper qualifications but will have tangible trades and skills”, he said.
Joseph said the government had also mainstreamed into the educationally curriculum skills acquisition programmes because it realized that skills were the major drivers of the world’s development.
Joseph lauded the Knosk #100 A-Day school for empowering their students with valid skills that would make them graduate and go into businesses and entrepreneurship instead of looking for white collar jobs which were unavailable.
He commended the school for using its little resources to provide solution to the country’s spate of out-of-school children.
He said that the school needed to be recognized and commended on a public platform in order to draw the attention of more funders and sponsors and to also motivate other school owners to absorb out-of-school children.
Founder of the Knosk #100 A-Day School, Mr Kingsley Bangwell, said the school and its project were all primarily established and designed for children from the poorest households and it remained committed to ensuring that the education was affordable.
He said if out-of-school children menace was not addressed at the grassroots, it portended a lot of challenge.
“If this children did not go to school today, in ten years time they would be younger adults without skills, without livelihoods and because they must survive, they will put the rest of us at risk by engaging in illegal means of sustenance.
“So, we are doing what we can to support government because government alone can’t solve this problem, we are doing what we can as a private organization to keep as many children as possible in school and that’s why we set up this school in Kuje.
“The students here get books, uniforms, lunch, sanitary pads for the girls and computer based education.
“And we have run this school primarily raising money on social media by asking people to adopt or sponsor a child in order to keep them in school”, he said.
Bangwell said that it cost #66,000 per term to keep a child in school and many well meaning Nigerians, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and even other private schools had been supporting the school.
According to him, “we’ve been on social media, on Instagram, on Facebook just telling the story of these kids by posting online.
“People visit our pages to see, some come physically to the school to verify someone from the UK had to send someone come check the school before he made a donation.
“So we have donations from Nigerians, non-Nigerians, donations from Australia, Japan, US, and from people we don’t even know, they just watch our social pages, they check and they come to support us.
“And It’s four years now that we’ve been running the school and while we thank support from NGOs like the Grant from MacArthur foundation, we also need more support for our teachers and primarily for the students”, he said.
He called for more sponsorship from individuals, the government and private organisations to keep the school running and keep the students in school.
Bangwell said that the vision of the school was to replicate it across Nigeria and in Africa by the year 2025.
Mrs Olusola Bankole, Member of the Board of Trustees of the School, said that she hoped the strategic meeting with educational stakeholders would attract the right sponsors, partners and donors.
“This event was set up to project the school and its activities to the public and to draw the attention of potential partners and donors.
“We want to be able to let others also know that there is such a school and that this is how far we have gone, these are the impacts we have made and this is what we intend to do in the next phase of our activities.
“Another major essence of this meeting is also to promote the impacts of what we are doing in education; you know one of the basic purposes of education in the Nigerian constitution is to give every child the right to quality education
“But we noticed that what some of these students are even getting is less than quality, what it means is that even the Nigerian government needs to work and the education ministries need to work to meet up with educational standards in the country”, she said.
She urged the government should look into the spate of out-of-school children and support schools such as Knosk who where providing solutions to the menace.
She reiterated that quality education was expensive and that the welfare of the children in the school could not be left for the school management alone or a few partnering sponsors.
“We currently have the support of the MacArthur Foundation but nobody should miss the facts that education is expensive and quality education is even more expensive.
“The cost of what we give to the children is enormous but without supports we may not be able to continue doing what we are doing.
“Supports from well-meaning people and even support from other private schools who are aware that we are doing the right thing is what has kept the school running and we need more support to ensure that no child is left behind”, she said.
She said that there were various ways to support and keep the students in school, including monthly support, annual, quarterly and continuous.
The Tide’s source reports that Knosk #100 A-Day school is a low cost school for underprivileged children in Kuje community.
The school provides school uniforms, books, lunch and sanitary pads for the girls with a daily fee of #100 per student.
Eight states across Nigeria have converged in Port Harcourt for the 2026 edition of the President’s Inter-Senior Secondary Schools Debate Championship, hosted by Rivers State Government.
The three_days championship, themed “27th Democracy & 3rd Year Anniversary of President Ahmed Tinubu Inter-Senior Schools Debate Championship,” opened on Monday at Government Girls Secondary School, Rumueme, Port Harcourt.
The participating states are Ebonyi, Abia, Delta, Sokoto, Yobe, Kwara, Enugu, and host state Rivers. Each state is represented by its top debaters selected through state-level contests.
Declaring the event open, the Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Peters Nwagor, said the championship goes beyond winning trophies. He described it as a national investment in the next generation of leaders.
“This platform is for nurturing young minds,” Nwagor said. “It builds critical thinking, research skills, confidence, effective communication, and the ability to engage constructively with views different from one’s own. These are the very qualities upon which responsible leadership and nation-building are founded.”
The Commissioner commended the organizers, participating schools, teachers, and coordinators for their commitment to promoting intellectual excellence among Nigerian youths.
He urged the students to compete with confidence, discipline, and respect. “Debate is not merely about winning an argument,” he noted. “It is about listening carefully, reasoning with clarity, presenting your evidence with honesty, and having the grace to learn from others. Let the quality of your ideas and the strength of your character define your participation here.”
Nwagor assured the participants that Rivers State is proud to play its part in raising a generation that will bring bold and innovative solutions to the country’s challenges. He wished all teams a rewarding, memorable, and successful championship.
Earlier in his welcome address, the National Coordinator of the President’s Schools Debate Nigeria, PSDN, Elder Dare Oritu, called the event a “gathering of minds” drawn from different parts of the country.
According to Oritu, debate is about three things. “It is about _unity_. It brings us together from different schools and backgrounds to learn from one another. It is about _broadening the mind_. It teaches you to think deeply, to listen well, to ask ‘why,’ and to defend your ideas with facts and respect. It is about _preparing you for leadership_. The problem-solvers and decision-makers of tomorrow are in this hall today.”
He reminded the students that debate is not a contest of aggression. “Debate is _not a fight_. We challenge ideas, not people. It is _not about who is better_. And it is _not do-or-die_. We win with grace, and we learn with humility,” Oritu said.
The PSDN National Coordinator encouraged all participants to compete with integrity, speak with clarity, and leave wiser than they came. He wished them the very best throughout the competition.
Highlights of the opening ceremony included the official draw for debate matches, administered by PSDN officials. The pairings will determine which states face each other in the preliminary rounds as the battle for the 2026 national title begins.
Amadi Akujobi
The National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), Port Harcourt, has graduated 61 students from its six-month Cybersecurity training programme. The institute also inducted 48 new students for the new academic session during a brief ceremony held at its Port Harcourt centre on Monday.
Centre Manager of NIIT Port Harcourt, Mr. Precious Ogulu Tom, said the institute is always excited to induct students into cybersecurity because it is one of its flagship courses with strong international recognition. He noted that the centre’s performance has earned it high ratings from ICSS, adding that in the past academic year, more than 20 students passed ICSS certification exams.
According to him, beyond the NIIT certificate, which is globally recognized, students also proceed to ICSS and complete their courses without difficulty. He credited the faculty for maintaining standards and said NIIT remains the leading ICT training institute in Port Harcourt and Rivers State.
Tom said NIIT has a presence in all major cities in Nigeria and its headquarters in India, with training covering all areas of ICT. He added that every year the institute produces at least one first-class graduate in Software Engineering from partner universities such as Middlesex University and the University of Sunderland. He described the institute’s approach as practical and hands-on.
On fees, he addressed comments about cost online, saying quality training requires investment. “Does anything good come easy? Nothing good comes easy,” he stated. He explained that students receive industry-standard books and globally recognized certificates, and invited parents and prospective students to register with NIIT for value-driven training.
Also speaking, Principal Instructor for Cybersecurity and Ethical Hacking, Mr. Nyekwere TamunoTonye, said the cohort began in February with high expectations and completed the programme in six months. He said one notable achievement was that the class remained largely intact despite challenges, including system breakdowns and family issues. “At the end of this six months, we never lost anybody. That is the greatest. So, we give God the glory,” he said.
Nyekwere said students were exposed to multiple domains in cybersecurity and received strong practical training. He told the graduands that their real learning starts now and urged them not to relent. “This is no longer the time you go back to play,” he added.
He emphasized that the institute equipped them not only with technical and practical skills but also with character and a mindset for continuous learning. He noted that no institution, including Harvard or Yale, can teach everything, but good schools set the path, which NIIT has done.
He charged them to deploy their skills positively. “I don’t want to see any of you being arrested by the EFCC tomorrow. I don’t want to see any of you being arrested by the police. I don’t want to see any of you being arrested,” he said.
Senior IT Counselor and Head of Sales and Marketing, Mrs. Igbigbari Vincent-Eretoru, congratulated the graduands for completing the programme and defending their presentations according to NIIT academic standards. She said certificates are awarded in character and learning, and urged them to be good ambassadors of NIIT Port Harcourt by applying what they learned.
Responding on behalf of the graduates, Class Section Head Tamunotonyesia Epelle said many came in with questions and uncertainty about specializations but left with clarity, confidence, and technical competence gained through practical assignments, teamwork, and the instructor’s push to avoid mediocrity.
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3
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