The former governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari, has stated that Nigeria cannot achieve significant economic progress if it continues to rely heavily on imports.
Masari made this remark on Saturday during the media launch of the Nigeria Talents Exploration Challenge (NTEC) in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the event—organized in collaboration with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)—aims to develop a national competition and showcase the exceptional talents of young people.
The former governor stressed the importance of local production in strengthening the nation’s economy.
“You can never make progress with importation; your currency can never have meaning with importation; your energy needs will never be affordable if they are totally dependent on what comes from outside,” he said.
Masari, who also serves as the Board Chairman of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), emphasized the importance of empowering young people through technical and vocational skills.
He reflected on the initiatives introduced during his tenure as governor, which provided training for over 10,000 youths in various skills.
“The idea of talent hunt and empowering the youth came about because we recognised that they are the future,” he added.
On his part, the National Coordinator of NTEC, Faisal Rafindadi, said the challenge aligned with the Federal Government’s vision to boost economic growth through technical and vocational education.
“Our partnership with the NBTE underscores our commitment to excellence in technical education.
“We aim to create a platform that inspires and empowers Nigerian youths to become leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs,” he said.
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, expressed confidence in Nigeria’s expanding role in global skills development.
Bugaje noted that Africa is rich in talent, and Nigeria, in particular, has many untapped potentials that must be harnessed for socioeconomic growth.
He highlighted the existing gap between research and industry, emphasizing that this initiative aims to bridge that divide.
According to him, once these talents are discovered, the NBTE will nurture them to ensure they make meaningful contributions to the country’s economic and social development.
“We are happy that this talent hunt, which started in Katsina, has been sustained and is now a national programme.
“With Nigeria’s admission into World Skills International in 2024, we now have a platform to showcase our talents on a global stage,” Bugaje said.
He added that the winners of the talent hunt would go on to represent Nigeria at the World Skills Africa competition in Zambia in 2025, followed by the World Skills International event in South Korea in 2026.
The competition is open to Nigerians between the ages of 10 and 40, covering a wide range of categories, including automotive modeling, arts and crafts, ICT, technology and innovation, construction, literary arts, and poetry.
A key moment of the event was the unveiling of the Nigeria Talent Exploration Challenge logo.
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