Lifegate Academy Abuja came top at the 2024 Schools Debate competition, organised by Chen Teen Youth Development Initiative.
Focus High School and Government Science Secondary School Tugan Maje came second and third positions respectively in the competition.
Speaking during the debate competition in Abuja on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack says the federal government will collaborate with any organisation in the promotion of skills education among the youth for sustainable national development.
Walson-Jack, who was represented by Mrs Mary Olajumoke from the ministry, said youths have constitute a larger percentage of the Nigerian population, as such there is the need to catch them young.
She urged stakeholders to support government’s programmes on the provision of qualitative education.
She further said that necessary measures should be put in place in the nation’s education to reduce criminal activities among the youth.
In his speech, the Director of Research and Development, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr Kashifu Abdullahi, urged government, parents and other stakeholders to support young people with digital skills that would make them self-reliant.
“It is our responsibility to make the country good, the pointer is on digital literacy and transformation into the digital realm, and we have to put our hands on deck to make that possible,’’ Abdullahi said.
He said that NITDA has a vision of transforming Nigeria into a digital environment and has initiatives to achieve it.
Earlier, the Executive Director, Chen Teen Youth Initiatives, Dr Olusola Oresanya, appealed to corporate organisations and individuals to partner with the initiative to promote skills education among the youth in the country.
“What we envision is a generation of young people who know what to do with their lives, we also found that giving a young person a sense of direction makes him focus in life,” Oresanya said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 13 public and private schools participated in the competition including Anglican Comprehensive Secondary School, Life Gate Academy and Lord’s Will Academy.
Others are Government Secondary School (GSS) Kubwa, GSS Tugan Maje GSS Gwagwalada, GSS Gwarinpa, Focus High School, among others.(NAN)