NASENI trains 120 Kogi electricians, gives each ₦50,000 and starter packs
- NASENI has trained 120 electricians from Kogi State in modern electrical installation and maintenance.
- Each beneficiary received a starter pack and ₦50,000 at the closing ceremony in Lokoja.
- The agency says the skills programme is meant to turn training into jobs and small businesses.
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has trained 120 electricians in Kogi State in modern electrical installation and maintenance, and handed each of them a starter pack and ₦50,000 to help them start earning.
The five-day programme ended with a closing ceremony and certificate presentation in Lokoja. Participants were drawn from all 21 local government areas of the state, according to The Nation.
NASENI runs the training under its Skill Acquisition Training and Youth Empowerment Programme (SATYE), which is aimed at giving young people practical skills that match demand in the building and construction industry.
Why it matters for ordinary Nigerians
Nigeria's growing number of homes, offices, shops, factories, farms and schools has raised demand for electricians who can install and maintain wiring properly, NASENI said. For the 120 trainees, the hope is that the skill becomes steady income rather than a certificate that ends up in a drawer.
The agency's Executive Vice Chairman, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the programme was designed to turn practical skills into livelihoods and economic independence. He spoke through the Acting Coordinating Director, Finance and Accounts, Ibrahim Baba Dauda.
"At NASENI, our vision of industrialisation goes beyond factories and machines. Industrial development must ultimately create opportunities for ordinary Nigerians," Halilu said.
He urged the beneficiaries not to sell the starter packs, describing them as tools for a sustainable livelihood. He also linked the programme to President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, which the agency says aims to widen economic opportunities and build human capital.
The Maigari of Lokoja, Alhaji Ibrahim Gambo Kabir Maikarfi IV, whose title appears in the reports in slightly different forms, commended NASENI for bringing the training to his domain. He told the participants their conduct and quality of work would shape how the public sees the agency.
"Your success will not only benefit you and your families; it will also demonstrate the value of NASENI's intervention," the traditional ruler said.
Halilu thanked the Kogi State government, the Maigari, chiefs, religious leaders and the city's political leadership for their support. He said NASENI is extending similar training to other areas, including civil engineering and tailoring.
What happens next
The 120 trainees are expected to begin taking on electrical installation and maintenance jobs with their new tools and the ₦50,000 each received. NASENI says it will keep pushing skills training into communities across the country, though it did not say which states are next.
