NRC graduates 86 trainees, assures employment opportunities

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has graduated 86 trainees from its Railway Technical Institute (RTI), Ebute-Metta, Lagos, in a move aimed at strengthening technical manpower and boosting youth employment across the country. The graduands, drawn from the NRC/National Directorate of Employment (NDE) collaborative skills acquisition programme, completed intensive training in various technical and vocational disciplines […]

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has graduated 86 trainees from its Railway Technical Institute (RTI), Ebute-Metta, Lagos, in a move aimed at strengthening technical manpower and boosting youth employment across the country.

The graduands, drawn from the NRC/National Directorate of Employment (NDE) collaborative skills acquisition programme, completed intensive training in various technical and vocational disciplines critical to the nation’s industrial and transport sectors.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, the Managing Director of the NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, described the event as a reflection of the Corporation’s commitment to youth empowerment, workforce development, and nation-building.

He assured the graduands of employment opportunities, noting that they had acquired practical, hands-on skills required to compete effectively in today’s labour market.

He explained that the Railway Technical Institute, established in 1924, has remained a cornerstone in Nigeria’s technical manpower development, producing skilled artisans and technicians in railway operations, mechanical systems, and related fields for over a century.

According to him, the 86 graduands were trained in diverse areas including electrical installation and maintenance, electronics engineering, welding and fabrication, refrigeration and air-conditioning, automobile mechanics, carpentry and joinery, computer engineering and ICT, fashion design and tailoring, painting and decoration, as well as printing technology.

Opeifa further disclosed that the Corporation is taking steps to reposition the institute into a modern and commercially viable centre of excellence through curriculum upgrades, infrastructure development, and strategic partnerships with relevant stakeholders both locally and internationally.

“We are aligning our training programmes with global best practices in railway technology, energy transition, and transport innovation, including exposure to locomotive modernisation and emerging alternative energy systems,” he said.

He urged the graduands to distinguish themselves through excellence, professionalism, and integrity, adding that they remain ambassadors of both the institute and the NRC.

Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Abiola Arogundade, represented by Dr. Abiola Isikalu, commended the NRC for repositioning the institute, noting that technical and vocational education remains key to youth empowerment under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG/EV), Ismaeel Ahmed, reaffirmed the initiative’s commitment to partnering with the NRC in promoting sustainable energy solutions that require a skilled technical workforce.

 

Similarly, the Vice Chancellor of Trinity University, Professor Clement Olusegun Kolawole, expressed the institution’s readiness to continue collaborating with the NRC in manpower development and logistics training.

 

Earlier, the Principal of the Railway Technical Institute, Mr. Kelechi Raphael Nosike, described the graduation as a milestone for the institution, noting that the trainees successfully completed a three-year craft training programme designed to equip them with industry-relevant skills.

 

The ceremony featured the presentation of certificates of excellence to outstanding graduands, including Mr. Fadayomi Olamide Andrew, Best Graduating Student of the Class of 2024, and Mr. Taiwo Ayomide, Best Graduating Student of the Class of 2025.