A Federal Government delegation, led by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Delivery and Coordination, Office of the Vice President, Mr Akubo Adegbe, alongside officials of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has secured the commitment of the Abia State Government to participate in the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) 2.0, a flagship youth employment initiative of the Federal Government.
Receiving the delegation in his office ,Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, OFR, assured that his administration is ready to collaborate with the Federal Government and UNDP to deepen youth development and empowerment in the state, stressing that his government does not take youth issues lightly.
Governor Otti said the NJFP 2.0 aligns seamlessly with his administration’s vision for youth development, particularly in the digital economy, creative industry, energy, and leadership development, which he identified as priority areas for collaboration and investment.
He informed the delegation that Abia State has already made significant strides in youth empowerment through initiatives such as the TechRise Programme, which has trained and graduated over 1,359 youths in digital skills, and the Abia Leadership Academy, which has produced about 1,000 graduates across two streams, with another cohort set to commence later in the year.
“We are not taking the issue of youths lightly. What you are proposing aligns strategically with what we are already doing. In fact, the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme 2.0 sounds like something adopted from here, because even before you came, we had already started,” Governor Otti said.
He emphasized that the digital economy should be the primary focus, followed by the creative economy and energy, noting that the state’s empowerment programmes were designed to ensure that graduates are productively integrated into society.
“I’ve always held the view that after the gown, there must be integration with the town. What you learn in school should prepare you to be useful in the wider society,” the Governor stated.
Governor Otti assured the delegation of his willingness to work closely with them and directed the Principal Secretary and Chief Strategy Officer to the Government, Mr Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, to liaise with the team to advance the collaboration.
Earlier, UNDP Team Lead, Mr Innocent Ejolu, said the visit was to discuss how Abia State could strategically scale and sustain youth employment in a transparent and impactful manner. He described NJFP as a Federal Government initiative, funded by the European Union, implemented by UNDP, and coordinated by the Office of the Vice President.
He explained that NJFP 2.0 is a redesigned phase aimed at deploying 20,000 fellows annually nationwide, with deeper skills acquisition, smarter job matching, and stronger retention outcomes.
“We have already placed over 14,000 young Nigerians across the 36 states and the FCT. With Abia’s co-investment, we can scale from hundreds to thousands of fellows, build a pipeline of future civil servants and entrepreneurs, and unlock private capital for human development,” Ejolu said.
In his remarks, Mr Akubo Adegbe, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Delivery and Coordination, commended Governor Otti’s leadership, particularly in the power sector and other areas of the economy. He noted that the Vice President insisted on the domestication of the programme to avoid the fate of past national initiatives that failed to achieve sustainability.
“The only way to ensure this programme does not go the way of others that came and fizzled out is to domesticate its implementation to align with the vision of each state. That is why NJFP 2.0 was redesigned to reflect the real needs of the people,” Adegbe said.
He disclosed that the programme targets a minimum of 20,000 fellows annually nationwide and made three key requests from Abia State: the Governor’s political support, contribution to the basket fund, and identification of priority sectors best suited for the state.
Signed
Abiakam Gloria Ify
HOC FIC Umuahia Abia State.
February 5,2026.
