Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday inaugurated the Office of the Vice President-Generation Unlimited (OVP-GenU) Secretariat, a new hub designed to propel a UNICEF-led initiative connecting 20 million Nigerian youths to education, skills training, and jobs by 2030.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity Stanley Nkwocha in a statement said the Generation Unlimited (GenU) programme, a public-private-youth partnership, aims to tackle youth unemployment by aligning skills with industry needs.
The statement said Shettima—represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia at the launch of the event, said the secretariat would speed up implementation and foster ties across government agencies.
“One key benefit is proper alignment of skills to community, industry, and societal demands through a transparent, accessible process,” Hadejia said.
Budget and Economic Planning Minister Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu hailed the move as a fit for the government’s Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, which targets 8,809 electoral wards to boost local economies.
The Budget Ministry pledged full backing.
Education Minister of State Professor Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmad endorsed GenU as a technical blueprint, especially its skills census, which will feed into national vocational planning.
UNICEF Representative Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef praised Nigeria’s leadership in Africa for youth investment, noting the Vice President’s office as host signals strong commitment.
“UNICEF is excited to provide technical expertise,” she said.
The President’s Special Adviser on Job Creation and MSMEs, Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, promised to leverage national MSME clinics for broader skills rollout.
Secretariat coordinator Rimamskeb Nuhu called for two commitments from ministries: support for the National Skills Census to create a “single source of truth” on skills data, and embedding representatives in the secretariat for seamless coordination.
The initiative builds on federal platforms to reverse youth joblessness trends.
