NITT begins training for 100 Ebonyi youths in heavy equipment operations

Entrepreneurship & SMEs, News

ZARIA, Nigeria (NPA) — The Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, has commenced training for 100 Ebonyi State youths in articulated vehicle driving, heavy equipment operations, maintenance and safety.

The programme, flagged off on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, is an initiative of the Ebonyi State Government under Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s administration to equip young people with technical skills, promote self-reliance and address skills gaps in the state.

Welcoming the Ebonyi delegation, NITT Director-General and Chief Executive, Dr Bayero Salih Farah, commended Nwifuru for his foresight, confidence in the institute’s expertise and commitment to human capital development.

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Farah said Ebonyi was the first state to sponsor such a large number of participants for the training, expressing confidence that the programme would equip them with practical skills to establish their own businesses in the future.

He urged the trainees to demonstrate responsibility and participate actively throughout the programme.

According to a statement issued by NITT’s Press and Public Relations Unit and republished by Leo Okene Oketa, Special Assistant to the Ebonyi State Governor on New Media, the initiative is expected to strengthen the technical capacity of the participants and expand their employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

Speaking at the event, Ebonyi State Commissioner for Skills Development and Job Creation, Prof. Nwogo Ajuka Obasi, praised Nwifuru for prioritising human capital development.

Obasi also commended the Ebonyi Outreach Learning Centre Liaison Officer, Engr. Nnamdi Anyanwu, for his commitment to ensuring the success of the programme, as well as Farah for his leadership.

Describing NITT as an internationally recognised institution with a record of excellence in infrastructure, teaching and research, the commissioner expressed the state government’s readiness to establish a lasting partnership with the institute.

“We have come to establish a long-lasting partnership with the institute,” Obasi said, assuring that a second phase of the training would take place in due course.

Also speaking, the Director of NITT’s Transport Technology Centre, Dr Joshua Odeleye, said the programme reflected the institute’s recognised contribution to human capital development.

In his closing remarks, NITT Registrar, Dr Maina W. A. Tarfa, thanked the Ebonyi State Government for the confidence it had placed in the institute, assuring the state that NITT would deliver on its commitment.

The training forms part of the state government’s efforts to develop a skilled workforce capable of supporting economic activity, improving employability and creating opportunities for young people in Ebonyi State.