By FAIZA ABUBAKAR, Kaduna

The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof. Idris Bugaje, has stressed the importance of cooperative education in tackling the socio-economic challenges of Northern Nigeria.

Prof. Bugaje, who stated this during a courtesy visit to the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, on Friday, September 12, 2025, said the institution has a critical role to play in manpower development and community transformation.

He noted that Northern Nigeria faces complex problems, ranging from economic decline and insecurity to energy poverty, and urged the college to rise to its mandate as its catchment covers the entire region.

“Small businesses are dying and industries are fizzling out. The economic situation is struggling to survive,” he lamented.

On agriculture, which he said sustains over 70 percent of the region’s population, Bugaje called on the cooperative sector to add value to farm produce and boost small-scale enterprises. He pointed to the Bangladesh cooperative financing model as a proven success that Nigeria could adopt.

Welcoming the NBTE boss, the Provost of the college, Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awwal, thanked him for the visit and pledged the institution’s support for the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Dr. Awwal said the college has already developed a five-year strategic plan to diversify programmes, introduce new initiatives, and deepen stakeholder engagement in line with national development goals.

All management staff of the Federal Cooperative College were in attendance during the visit, which underscored the Federal Government’s recognition of cooperative education as a tool for sustainable development in Northern Nigeria.