FG unifies skills development, ends ITF-NBTE supremacy battle

The Federal Government has formally ended years of institutional rivalry between the Industrial Training Fund and the National Board for Technical Education over the regulation of Nigeria’s skills development system, unveiling a new governance framework that clearly separates the responsibilities of both agencies.

The reforms, facilitated by the Office of the Vice President through the National Council on Skills, transfer the administration of the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework, the Secretariat of the National Council on Skills and the Secretariat of WorldSkills Nigeria to the ITF, while the NBTE will focus exclusively on regulating formal technical and vocational education institutions.

The Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, and the Director-General of the ITF, Afiz Ogun, announced the breakthrough during a joint media briefing in Abuja on Thursday, describing it as the end of years of disagreements that had slowed efforts to build a coordinated national skills ecosystem.

For several years, both agencies had publicly disagreed over which institution should regulate the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework and coordinate national skills development programmes, leading to overlapping mandates, public exchanges and concerns among stakeholders about duplication of responsibilities.

Declaring an end to the dispute, Bugaje said the two institutions had finally reached an agreement that clearly defines their respective roles.

“The conflict between NBTE and ITF over the regulation of the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework is over. ITF is now in charge of the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework. They are regulated on the overall, while NBTE will limit itself to education and educational institutions,” he said.

The NBTE boss described the agreement as one of the biggest achievements in Nigeria’s technical education sector in recent years.

He stated, “That’s a major achievement because in the past we were having a lot of media wars and battles and so on over the role of each one of us in the NSQF. Now it has been transferred to the ITF.”

He added that another major outcome of the reforms was the transfer of the Secretariat of the National Council on Skills to the ITF.

“The Secretariat of the National Council on Skills is now the ITF. They will coordinate the entire activities of the National Council on Skills, chaired by the Vice President,” Bugaje stated.

He also announced that the Secretariat of WorldSkills Nigeria had equally been transferred to the ITF to strengthen the relationship between skills training and industry.

He said, “The Secretariat of WorldSkills Nigeria has also been moved from NBTE to the ITF because WorldSkills needs to be linked to industry. We are not just doing skills training in our institutions for its own sake. It must be based on the needs of industry.”

Bugaje disclosed that the ITF had accepted responsibility for establishing and operating the WorldSkills Academy in Abuja.

He said the academy would provide world-class training for instructors in polytechnics, technical colleges and master craftsmen across different trades.

“The DG has not only accepted that role, he has also accepted to establish the WorldSkills Academy here in Abuja. This will allow master craftspersons in different trades, as well as senior instructors from our colleges and polytechnics, to come to the WorldSkills Academy and achieve world-class training in their areas of trade before returning to their institutions to impart that knowledge,” he noted.

The NBTE Executive Secretary also revealed that the ITF had agreed to promote Nigeria’s own skills certification alongside internationally recognised qualifications.

He said, “ITF has now recognised the Nigerian Skills Qualification Certification. Every training they are doing will now have dual certification. Trainees will do the Nigerian Skills Qualification Certification and then the international certification.”

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He explained that while the Nigerian certification would strengthen the country’s domestic skills ecosystem, the international certification would enable Nigerian artisans and technicians to compete for jobs abroad.

He stated, “The Nigerian Skills Qualification Certification is important because we are promoting our own, while the international one will give our young people the opportunity to travel beyond the borders of Nigeria and take up jobs.”

Bugaje further said the partnership would deepen collaboration on the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme and other practical training initiatives aimed at producing graduates with industry-ready skills.

Expressing optimism about the future, he declared an end to years of disagreements between the two institutions.

He added, “All those troubles of the past are over. We are now going to work very closely to ensure that the skills ecosystem in Nigeria is uplifted and upgraded so that we can meet not only local demand but also position Nigeria as a major player globally in the supply of skilled manpower.”

On his part, the Director-General of the ITF, Afiz Ogun, described the restructuring as a critical component of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reform agenda, saying the government was determined to organise Nigeria’s fragmented skills ecosystem.

He explained that under the new arrangement, the NBTE would continue regulating formal technical institutions, while the ITF would oversee artisans, technicians, apprenticeships, Recognition of Prior Learning, Sector Skills Councils and industrial skills development.

Ogun said the country must urgently address the disconnect between education and industry.

He noted, “The President believes there is employment. What we need is to organise our skills ecosystem properly and ensure Nigerians possess the competencies industries require.”

He lamented that despite rising unemployment, Nigeria continued to rely heavily on artisans and skilled workers from neighbouring African countries and Asia to execute technical jobs.

The ITF boss said one of the agency’s priorities would be developing a comprehensive national database of artisans and technicians, who would subsequently be certified, licensed and integrated into a digital marketplace where employers could verify their qualifications and track service ratings.

He added that the initiative would improve quality assurance, accountability and public confidence in Nigerian artisans.

The officials expressed confidence that the new governance structure would eliminate duplication, improve coordination among government institutions and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to produce globally competitive skilled workers.

The PUNCH reports that the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework was introduced to establish nationally recognised occupational standards and competency-based certification for artisans, technicians and vocational workers.

However, its implementation was repeatedly overshadowed by disputes between the NBTE and the ITF over regulatory authority, leading to overlapping functions and institutional tensions.

The intervention of the Office of the Vice President through the National Council on Skills culminated in the signing of a new cooperation agreement earlier this week, paving the way for a clearer division of responsibilities.

Officials believe the reforms will strengthen technical and vocational education, improve industrial productivity, reduce dependence on foreign skilled labour and position Nigeria as a leading supplier of skilled manpower in Africa and beyond.

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