Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced plans to launch Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy, declaring that the country’s greatest asset lies not in its oil or minerals, but in its people.
Speaking at the opening of the National Industrial Manpower Summit, NIMS 2025 in Abuja, the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, said urgent action was needed to bridge the gap between educational output and industry needs.
He warned that Nigeria must “invest in its citizens or risk dire consequences,” insisting that the country could not afford to “divest from our people because the world will not pause to wait for us.”
The President stressed that the summit would form the basis of a transformative policy framework to align education, training and industrial needs.
“For a nation with a median age of about seventeen, Nigeria is an incredibly young country. This youthfulness is a gift, but it is also a responsibility. We must make our young people not just a demographic statistic but a central component of our policy-making process.
“Our mission is to align the education and training of our young people, and indeed the larger workforce, with the needs of industry. We must reverse the mismatch between what our institutions produce and what our economy requires,” he said.
He outlined plans for an industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower roadmaps, and an elevated status for vocational and industrial training, adding that welders, machinists, technicians, software engineers and factory operators must be “treated with the dignity, respect, and opportunity they deserve.”
Also, Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the summit as a turning point, saying: “There are moments in a nation’s journey when history itself seems to lean forward. When history does so, it is to watch and see whether we will be able to take advantage of the opportunities before us.”
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said national manpower was the foundation for attracting and retaining industrial investment, describing the gathering as “a timely opportunity to deepen our conversation and lay out a bold actionable strategy for a more resilient economy.”
Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, urged stronger collaboration in skills development, while the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Mr Adamson Ayinde Oluwatoyin, called the summit “a turning point in the collective quest to shape the future of Nigeria’s workforce.”
Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund, Dr Afiz Ogun Oluwatoyin, commended the President’s foresight, noting that “new perspectives” in manpower planning were critical to meeting emerging industrial needs.
The summit, themed “Manpower
Development: The Bridge Between Potential and Productivity”, is expected to produce concrete recommendations for rapid adoption and implementation by the Federal Government.
