By Aga Samuel Imoter

Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas has sponsored members of the state House of Assembly, chairmen of the 16 local government areas and other senior officials to a one-week leadership and peace support operations course in Jaji, Kaduna State.

The training, which began with a joint inauguration ceremony at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, is aimed at strengthening participants’ leadership skills and knowledge of peacebuilding, conflict management and security issues.

Other participants include officials of the Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission, the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, and political advisers to the state government. The participants are expected to undergo intensive sessions on leadership development, peace support operations, conflict prevention and effective public administration.

The state government said the programme forms part of its broader capacity-building efforts for political office holders and public officials.It said continuous professional development would help strengthen public institutions and improve the implementation of government policies and programmes.

The training also brings together officials responsible for governance, local administration, electoral matters and chieftaincy affairs, with the government saying the initiative is intended to promote stronger institutional coordination.

At the end of the one-week programme, participants are expected to return to their respective institutions and apply the knowledge gained to their official responsibilities.

By Aga Samuel Imoter

The Taraba State Government has pledged to provide land and critical infrastructure to support the take-off of the Nigerian Army’s newly established 10 Division in Jalingo.The government also offered strategic locations across the state for possible brigades and battalions under the new formation, as part of efforts to strengthen security operations.

The commitment was made on Monday when a delegation from Army Headquarters, Abuja, led by Major General I. O. Bassey, visited the state to assess facilities and resources required to operationalise the division.

Receiving the delegation on behalf of Governor Agbu Kefas, the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Gebon Timothy Kataps, said the administration was ready to support the Army.

Kataps said locations including Karim Lamido, Bali, Wukari and Gembu could be considered for military formations, adding that their strategic positioning could improve security coordination and rapid response. He assured the Army of continued collaboration with security agencies to address security challenges and sustain peace across the state.

The delegation also assessed available facilities and identified additional requirements for the division’s operations.The SSG was accompanied by the Head of Service, Dr Hamidu Ahmed Kara, and the Taraba State APC Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa. A highlight of the engagement was the presentation of a plaque of compliment from the Chief of Army Staff to the Taraba State Government.

By Israel Adamu, Jos

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has approved the allocation of land in the state capital for the establishment of a Digital Fabrication Centre by the Industrial Training Fund, ITF.This was contained in a statement signed by Thomas Ngor, Director, Press and Public Relations, and made available to journalists in Jos at the weekend.

According to the statement, Mbah disclosed the approval when he received a delegation from the ITF, led by its Director-General, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, on a courtesy visit to the Government House, Enugu. The governor described the proposed centre as timely and in line with his administration’s vision of transforming Enugu into a leading destination for investment, innovation and technology-driven industrial development.

Mbah said the future of economic prosperity depended on deliberate investments in human capital and emerging technologies, noting that his administration had continued to create an enabling environment for innovation, enterprise and sustainable growth. He explained that the state government had made technical education compulsory in its basic education system, with emphasis on digital literacy, robotics and mechatronics to prepare young people for the future of work.

According to him, many traditional trades are now increasingly driven by digital technologies, making it imperative to equip young people with relevant technical competencies that would enable them to compete globally. The governor also disclosed that his administration had built smart schools across the state, equipped with robotics centres, mechatronics laboratories and other modern learning facilities.

He said the establishment of the ITF Digital Fabrication Centre would strengthen the state’s efforts to build a knowledge-based economy, promote innovation and local manufacturing, as well as create employment opportunities for the growing youth population.

Earlier, the ITF Director-General, Ogun, said he was mandated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to upskill Nigerian artisans to international standards following his appointment as head of the Fund. He said the ITF had repositioned its technical and vocational skills development programmes through initiatives such as the Skill-Up Artisans, SUPA, programme, which is designed to train, certify and license Nigerian artisans to international standards.

Ogun disclosed that the Fund had already established a Digital Fabrication Centre in Ikeja, Lagos, with the capacity to produce more than 400 different products. He therefore requested the allocation of land in Enugu State for the establishment of a similar centre, saying the initiative would promote industrialisation, reduce dependence on imports and prepare Nigerians for opportunities in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The ITF boss also reaffirmed the Fund’s readiness to enter into Public-Private Partnerships, PPPs, to transform Nigeria’s artisanal ecosystem. He noted that digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics and computer-aided manufacturing, were rapidly transforming the global economy, stressing the need for Nigeria to deliberately invest in upskilling its workforce to remain globally competitive.The statement added that the ITF delegation later embarked on a guided tour of facilities at one of the smart schools established by the Enugu State Government.