NCDC Plans Entrepreneurial Devt Centres For North Central States, FCT

North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has unveiled plans to establish entrepreneurship development centres for students in all the states in the region and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The move is aimed at actualising President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for Nigerian youths. The commission further declared its commitment to partnering with Nigerian students to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and economic productivity. It asserted that the President’s vision for youth development must translate into practical opportunities that enable young people to turn their ideas into viable enterprises.

NCDC, particularly,  assured students in the North Central region of their inclusion in its development programmes, adding that sufficient funds had been set aside in its budget to support entrepreneurship training and related interventions.

At the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone C Summit, Comrade Solomon Adodo, a member representing the FCT on the NCDC Board, said the commission was determined to ensure that students’ creativity and innovative ideas were given the necessary support to translate into productivity.

Adodo, who represented the commission’s managing director and chief executive officer, Dr Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, commended President Tinubu for establishing the regional development commissions.

He described the initiative as a strategic intervention to address developmental challenges, strengthen regional growth and ensure that government programmes deliver tangible benefits at the grassroots.

In a statement released by the commission in Abuja yesterday, it said the summit held in Kwara State on Saturday brought together student representatives from the six states of the North Central region and the FCT.

He said the President’s vision for youth development recognises the enormous potential of Nigerian students and the need to create an enabling environment for their creativity, innovation and productive capacities to thrive.

The NCDC, he said, considers education a critical foundation for regional development and is committed to ensuring that students are carried along in implementing the President’s development agenda.  Adodo stressed that good intentions must be supported by practical action and meaningful collaboration to achieve lasting results.

He said the NCDC was determined to establish a stronger partnership with the student community to ensure that innovative ideas are nurtured and translated into productive ventures.

“It is time for us to reverse the old pattern and embrace a new order, to ensure that the innovations of students are not left to rot, but are given wings to fly and ascend from mere potential to productivity,” he said.

Adodo disclosed that sufficient funds had been set aside in the Commission’s budget to support entrepreneurship training and other interventions aimed at strengthening the economic capacity of young people.

He further revealed that the Commission was planning to establish entrepreneurial development centres across the six states of the North Central region and the FCT to provide students and other young people with opportunities to acquire relevant skills, develop innovative ideas, and build sustainable enterprises.

He encouraged students to look beyond academic qualifications and embrace entrepreneurship, innovation and wealth creation, stressing that Nigeria must transition towards a productive economy in which young people are not only equipped to seek employment but also empowered to create jobs and contribute to economic growth.

He noted that President Tinubu’s aspiration to build a productive Nigeria requires deliberate investment in the capabilities of young people, adding that the country must strengthen its capacity to produce goods and services for domestic consumption and export.

The NCDC board member further assured students that the Commission would maintain an open-door policy and work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure that their needs and aspirations are reflected in its interventions.

He explained that the Commission has representation from each state in the region, providing an avenue for engagement, interaction and the identification of development priorities.

“The gates and doors of the North Central Development Commission are open to you. Our duty is not to isolate ourselves from you, but to interact with you and ensure that all your needs are met,” he said.

Meanwhile, NANS Zone C has applauded the student-focused initiatives of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing them as encouraging steps towards youth empowerment.

Commenting on the proposed initiative, the NANS Zone C coordinator, Comrade Abiola Azeez Babatunde Adigun, stressed the importance of investing in students’ skills and entrepreneurial capacities as a pathway to sustainable livelihoods and regional development.

The proposed programme is expected to cover Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the FCT, with a focus on digital, vocational and technical skills, business development, mentorship and entrepreneurship training.

NANS Zone C said it would engage the Commission’s leadership to discuss the proposed collaboration, develop an implementation framework and identify areas of mutual interest in advancing student empowerment across the region.