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TPI Holds National Conference On Skills Acquisition As Tinubu, Ganduje, Others Vows Tackle Unemployment In Nigeria

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Joel Ajayi

 Nigeria’s President and  Commander in chief of the armed forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to tackling youth idleness, unemployment and poverty in Nigeria. 


The president made this commitment at the  3 Day National Skills Acquisition Conference, organized by ruling All Progressives Congress, APC  Think Tank and intellectual resource center, The Progressive Institute,  holding at the  the Banquet Hall in Abuja 


Declaring the conference  open, President Tinubu emphasized his government’s commitment to bridge any gaps hindering the achievement of this goal.


The conference focused on vocational skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, and the challenges of development in Nigeria, highlighting skills development as crucial for propelling the country’s economic standard. Ganduje pledged to support a national policy on skills technology to drive youth development.


President Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, described the conference as a “fundamental contribution of our party in governance.”


The President acknowledged the critical need for synergy, maximizing resources, and harmonizing federal intervention with state efforts.


He assured that his administration would tackle youth unemployment head-on in the new year, and looked forward to receiving a comprehensive report from the conference.


The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, expressed optimism that the conference would enhance the capacity of the APC and contribute to the development agenda of the government. Dr. Ganduje said Nigeria must turn its population potential to advantage and that the only way to achieve this is through skills acquisition training for the teeming youths.


He called on the media to support the party’s efforts in diversifying the economy.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, promised to help the Progressive Institute’s initiatives on youth empowerment and development. Jibrin commended the Institute’s pioneering effort and urged other opposition parties to invest in the livelihood of the general population.


Dr. Lanre Adebayo, the Director General, DG of the institute,, commended Dr.  Ganduje’s role in promoting youth skill acquisition and his support for the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.
Dr. Adebayo vowed that the investment made by the ruling party would soon translate to the yearnings of the Nigerian youths.


The conference underscored the importance of vocational skill acquisition in Nigeria, aligning with President Tinubu’s commitment to addressing youth unemployment.


TPI has dedicated a high powered experts to collate the reports of the conference for onward submission to the Federal government through the ruling party.
The event brought together dignitaries from academia and the All-Progressive Congress from across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

This initiative aligns with the federal government’s agenda of renewed hope, focusing on youth skill development, as emphasized by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

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Politics

Wike’s Loyalists in PDP Suspend Acting Chairman Damagum, Spokesman Ologunagba, Others

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Cyril Ogar

The Peoples Democratic Party has plunged deeper into crisis as fresh divisions emerged within its leadership, with a faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, announcing the suspension of the Acting National Chairman, Umar  Damagum, and five other members of the National Working Committee.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Saturday on behalf of the factional NWC, the PDP National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, announced the party’s National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman, as the Acting National Chairman.

He stated, “First of all, we want to commend the judiciary over the judgment of yesterday, which is a victory for the entire PDP members all over. Nobody can claim victory over the judgment of the court. It is a judgment against impunity, against illegality. We promote unity, peace, and cohesion in the party.

“Having said that, the party did not overlook the activities of some members of the NWC who have already decided to cause disaffection in the party, which has made most of our leaders and governors leave the party in droves. I would say that this is the time to arrest such a situation and call it to order.

“On this note, after the emergency meeting, we decided, as a party, to suspend Ambassador Damagum, the National Chairman of the party, for incompetence, misappropriation of party funds, and flagrant disobedience of court judgments. We decided that we should suspend him for one month, and we will send him to the Disciplinary Committee for him to be able to answer questions.

“Secondly, we have overwhelming evidence against the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba. We have seen the frequent press releases by the National Publicity Secretary which was confirmed that even at a point, the then National Vice Chairman suspended him for appearing or defending the party because of the unapproved frequent press releases. For us to have sanity in the party, we have suspended him.”

Anyanwu also announced the suspension of the National Deputy Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja, accusing him of failing to properly advise Damagum against engaging in anti-party activities and reckless behavior.

He continued, “On that note, he is also suspended for 30 days. Now, we talk about the National Financial Secretary, Daniel Woyenguikoro. We have discovered that in the last few days and months, there have been congresses and sales of forms meant for our congresses, which were bought and paid into two different accounts controlled by the National Financial Secretary. So, on this note, he has been suspended, and we are sending him to the Disciplinary Committee. We are also going to involve the financial agencies to look into those activities.

“Again, the Youth Leader, Sulaiman Kadade, PDP Youth all over, if you watched yesterday, the youth leaders all over the country met and said that they don’t want Mohammed Kandede to be their youth leader again because he has never activated the youth wing of our party, and that wing has been abandoned. For that reason, he has also been suspended for one month.

“Finally, the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo who is supposed to be my deputy, is also suspended for one month. He resumed the office of the National Secretary illegally, signed all kinds of letters, especially to some states, where he has caused disaffection among our party members in those states. For that reason, he has also been suspended for 30 days.

“All of them are sent to the Disciplinary Committee to show cause why they should not be expelled from the party. The judgment of yesterday confirmed the reason why this suspension should be effective. In their place, especially the National Chairman, we are asking the National Vice Chairman (North-Central), Mohammed Abdulrahman to act as National Chairman. In the place of the National Publicity Secretary, we are going to ask the Director of Publicity of our party, Chinwen Nnorom, to take over all the activities of the party in terms of information.”

According to Anyanwu, ten members of the NWC were in attendance.

Earlier, the NWC under Damagum’s leadership announced the suspension of Senator Anyanwu, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), and two other members.

Despite the scheduled National Elective Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16, internal strife continues to grip the party.

Supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, remain dissatisfied with the leadership of the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum.

Their grievances revolve around unresolved disputes concerning the South-South zonal leadership and control of party structures in Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Plateau States. In addition, disagreements over the micro-zoning arrangement ahead of the convention have further deepened divisions within the PDP.

These ongoing conflicts eventually escalated into a legal confrontation aimed at halting the planned convention. On Friday, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim injunction restraining the PDP from proceeding with the convention until further notice.

In case number FHC/ABJ/CS/2120/2025, presided over by Justice James Omotosho, the court ruled that the PDP must suspend its convention pending full compliance with its own constitution, the 1999 Constitution, and the Electoral Act of 2022.

The case was filed by three aggrieved PDP members Austin Nwachukwu, the Imo State PDP Chairman; Amah Abraham Nnanna, the Abia State PDP Chairman; and Turnah Alabh George, the PDP Secretary for the South-South zone.

They argued that the planned convention violated both the Electoral Act and the party’s internal regulations, citing the PDP’s failure to conduct valid congresses in 14 states before issuing the convention notice.

Justice Omotosho upheld their arguments, ruling that the PDP had indeed breached its constitution, the 1999 Constitution, and INEC’s guidelines by neglecting to conduct proper state congresses and failing to provide the mandatory 21-day notice to INEC. 

Consequently, the court ordered the suspension of the planned convention until all internal irregularities are corrected in accordance with the law.

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