FG Urges States To Partner On Poverty Reduction Programme

The federal government has urged state governments to partner with it in implementing the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), a programme aimed at lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, made the call in a statement on Thursday.

She said the programme had continued its rollout with a training session in Oyo State, urging state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders and the private sector to support its expansion across the country.

Arogundade described the NPRGS as a key part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which recognises Nigerian youths as important to solving the country’s challenges.

The programme began its first training cohort in Abuja on June 30, 2025, with a 10-day programme in cybersecurity, web development and solar energy installation.

According to Arogundade, more than 7,000 people applied for the Abuja training, while participants received practical skills, laptops and certificates after completing the programme.

She said the initiative was now being expanded across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with 200 trainees selected in each zone. The initial nationwide phase is expected to benefit 1,200 youths.

She added that the skills taught in each location would be based on local market demand, relevance and the preferences of participants.

In Oyo State, training for the South-West zone is scheduled to begin on September 28, 2026, and run for more than two weeks.

Participants will be trained in graphics and artificial intelligence design, makeup and fashion designing.

Arogundade said participants would also receive training kits, including laptops for graphics and AI trainees, makeup kits, sewing machines and starter kits for fashion trainees, and fermentation kits for those undergoing yoghurt-making training.

She said the programme is designed to equip young Nigerians with practical skills, reduce unemployment and underemployment, promote entrepreneurship and self-reliance, and support the government’s goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.