The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to grassroots artisans to upgrade local skills to meet both national and international benchmarks and compete in the global markets.

Speaking recently during the Skill-Up Artisans (SUPA) zonal rally, Dr Afiz Ogun, director-general of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), stated that the initiative is designed to professionalise the sector.

The rally was designed to raise awareness of the programme throughout the North-West region.

The rally saw a diverse turnout of professionals, including those in construction and engineering such as welders, fabricators, plumbers, and carpenters.

Those in the technical service comprised of electrical installers and automobile mechanics, while those in the creative and digital space were fashion designers and ICT technicians.

Represented by Muhammad Aminu, the former zonal director of the ITF, Ogun explained that the SUPA scheme seeks to convert traditional craftsmanship into sustainable livelihoods.

He emphasised that the goal is to transform artisans from job seekers into employers of labour.

“We are calling on artisans across the North-West to embrace the SUPA programme,” Ogun remarked. “This is an opportunity to enhance productivity, increase earnings, and ensure our workforce can compete on a global stage”.

According to the DG, the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, focusing on restoring dignity to manual and technical work.

He noted that a competent artisan class forms the essential foundation of a productive economy.

He further called upon traditional rulers, community leaders, and trade associations to assist the ITF in disseminating information about the programme to ensure high participation rates.

“We are here to engage the technicians, the tradespeople, and the young talents who serve as the backbone of our economy,” he added.

Nancy Ekong, director of the Technical Vocational Skills Training Department, highlighted the programme’s recent successes. She revealed that over 30,000 artisans were trained and upgraded during the initial SUPA cycle in 2025.

The ITF remains optimistic that the continued expansion of SUPA will bridge the existing skills gap in Nigeria’s industrial sector.

American billionaire businessman Bill Gates, has paid $8 billion to his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates’ charity, five years after their split over his affairs with other women.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates

Gates made the $7.88 billion donation to Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation in 2024, The New York Times revealed.

The sum, one of the largest public donations ever recorded, was revealed in a new tax filing, which shows the first specific financial terms of the couple’s high-profile split in 2021.

Melinda resigned from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in May 2024. Despite leaving the charity, she suggested her ex donate $12.5 billion to a new charitable foundation she intended to create.

A representative for Pivotal told the Times the $12.5 billion agreement has been fulfilled, and the nearly $8 billion donation was part of that agreement.

Melinda set up her Pivotal Philanthropies Foundation in 2022, the year after the divorce. At the end of 2023, it had $604 million on hand.

The billionaire pair split after 27 years together in 2021, embarking on what is considered the most expensive divorce settlement in the world. Melinda later received approximately $76 billion in assets.

Months later, details of Gates’ affair with a Microsoft employee were exposed.

The woman penned a letter to the company’s board in 2019, divulging details about the fling which began in 2000 and demanded that his wife, Melinda “read it”.

Microsoft’s board investigated the women’s claims and deemed the relationship “inappropriate”, the Wall Street Journal reported at the time.

Gates suddenly quit the board in March 2020 while the investigation was still in progress – and before the board could make a formal decision on the matter.

Two further bombshell reports were then revealed, alleging Gates had routinely hit on staffers at Microsoft and at the philanthropic foundation he founded alongside his wife.

A separate shocking report claimed that Gates had sought marriage advice from Jeffrey Epstein, with whom he reportedly shared a “close” relationship, having first met the convicted sex offender in 2011.

Gates’ and Epstein’s friendship first came to light in 2019, months after Epstein killed himself in his Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on charges of child sex trafficking.

The two men reportedly spent time together on multiple occasions, flying on Epstein’s private jet – dubbed the “Lolita Express” – and attending late-night gatherings at his Manhattan home.

Federal Government has rolled out a new policy to reduce education costs, enhance learning outcomes, and promote environmental sustainability through the nationwide adoption of reusable textbooks.

Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa

Jointly announced by Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id, the policy introduces durable, high-quality textbooks designed to last four to six years, according to a statement signed by Boriowo Folasade, Director, Press and Public Relations at the ministry.

The policy bans the bundling of disposable workbooks with textbooks, enabling books to be shared among siblings and reused across academic sessions, a move expected to significantly cut recurring expenses for parents and reduce school-generated waste.

It also establishes a uniform academic calendar across the country and streamlines graduation ceremonies to terminal classes only, limiting them to Primary 6, JSS 3, and SSS 3.

Furthermore, the policy tightens assessment, selection, and quality assurance processes for instructional materials, introduces structured revision cycles to ensure only substantive content changes are made, and limits the number of approved textbooks per subject in line with international best practices.

These measures are aimed at ending frequent, cosmetic textbook revisions that compel parents to buy new books annually without meaningful improvements, while the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will continue to oversee textbook quality assurance as the Federal Ministry of Education pursues broader education reforms.