Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is committed to reversing Nigeria’s high unemployment rate and low labor force participation.
He stated that the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme under the Tinubu administration is aimed at transforming these challenges and creating a more prosperous society.
Shettima made this statement on Saturday at the launch of the Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Strategy Document and Gender Transformative Human Capital Development Policy Framework in Lafia, the state’s capital.
The Vice President highlighted the administration’s focus on equipping Nigerians with globally competitive skills, enabling them to thrive in both local and international job markets.
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In a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said: “Nasarawa State’s commitment to the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme, a lifeline for our nation, is built on the collective realisation that enough is enough.
“Enough of the cycles that have held us back. Enough of the legacies of unplanned high fertility rates and alarming maternal and under-five mortality rates. Enough of our vulnerable populations facing low life expectancy.
“Enough of the distressing data on our education system—whether it is the mean years of schooling, the high pupil-to-teacher ratios, or the staggering number of youths not in employment, education, or training. The unemployment rates, the growing informal sector, and low labour force participation must be reversed.
“This is the dystopia our Human Capital Development Programme is designed to avert, under the mandate of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. For so long, at the National Economic Council, we have debated the ideal nation we wish to build and the pathways to achieve it.”
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Vice President Shettima emphasized that addressing the nation’s human capital challenges is central to the Human Capital Development (HCD) program, which prioritizes workforce development, education, and health—key areas that the Tinubu administration is focusing on at the national level.
He stated that the unveiling of a blueprint for Nasarawa’s future underscores the administration’s shared conviction that progress for the nation lies in crafting solutions tailored to the specific needs of each state.
While expressing regret over the ECOWAS region’s low ranking on the global Human Capital Development Index, the Vice President reassured that this should not be a source of discouragement.
“Rather, it is an invitation for every country, and indeed sub-national entities, to rise to the challenge,” he added, pointing out emphatically that “every child must have access to quality education, equitable healthcare, even as the nation’s workforce must be equipped with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st-century economy.”
Explaining that the government is not just committed to ensuring Nigerian youths acquire employable skills, the VP said the ambition transcends mere local success to empowering them to “export the acquired skills globally, competing at the highest levels of the international marketplace.”
“Our partnerships with the private sector are critical in achieving this. By facilitating access to resources, expertise, and innovation, we aim to make human capital development the cornerstone of a more prosperous and competitive Nigeria,” he added.
The Vice President credited the launch of the strategy document and policy framework in Nasarawa State to the leadership and vision of Governor Abdullahi Sule, commending it as a progressive and impactful initiative.
He further stated that the federal government has advanced beyond the initial phase of the Human Capital Development (HCD) program by adjusting strategies to align with current realities and transitioning from theory to practical implementation.
He noted that Nasarawa’s involvement at this crucial stage signals promising progress.
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