Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged the governors of Nigeria’s 36 states to prioritise human capital development over politics.
He made this call during a meeting of the Steering Committee of the Human Capital Development (HCD) Programme at the State House, Abuja.
The Vice President emphasised that Nigeria’s future in the 21st century will be determined by the strength of its workforce, the education of its children, and the well-being of communities across the country.
According to him, “We must go beyond plans and policies. Implementation must be swift, targeted, and unrelenting. The time for incremental change has passed—this is the time for bold, decisive action.”
He stressed the need for deeper state-level implementation, urging governors and state representatives to prioritise five key indicators for tracking HCD progress. He also called for regular, structured meetings of State HCD Councils to ensure human capital development remains central to governance.
Vice President Shettima noted that history will remember the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritising people over politics, investing in capacity over convenience, and building a nation that thrives by confronting challenges head-on.
He highlighted the expansion of the HCD Steering Committee to include key cross-cutting sectors, strengthening governance structures.
Furthermore, he called for a nationwide survey to collect real-time data on priority indicators such as health, education, and workforce readiness.
“We believe that data must drive our decisions. We cannot solve what we do not measure. A nation that aspires to greatness must ground its policies in evidence, not assumptions.”
Shettima also stressed the need for mobilising resources beyond government funding, urging private sector partnerships and innovative financing methods, including impact investments and social impact bonds. He encouraged development partners and corporate leaders to see human capital development as an investment in national prosperity rather than charity.
Earlier, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, praised the HCD team for its data-driven approach. He emphasised that economic expansion without human capital development is futile.
He also highlighted Africa’s growing young population, urging increased investment in education, skills, and healthcare.
Speaking on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Country Representative Ms Elsie Attafuah commended the federal government for prioritising human capital development. She cited initiatives such as the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme as crucial to the nation’s development.
In her presentation, Special Adviser to the President on the National Economic Council (NEC) and Climate Change, Ms Rukaiya El-Rufai, reported that the HCD team had redesigned its governance structure, conducted advocacy, engaged stakeholders, administered an ECOWAS grant, and developed a national HCD dashboard to track progress in health, nutrition, education, and labour force development.