The Balarabe Umaru Audi Youth Centre (BUAY-C) has graduated no fewer than 50 orphans and vulnerable youths in Niger State, targeting out-of-school children, dropouts, disadvantaged youths and persons living with disabilities aged between 15 and 25 years.

The centre, established in 2024, held its inaugural graduation ceremony on Monday, February 16, 2026, at the Islamic Education Trust (IET), Minna.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the occasion, Sani Bello (rtd), lamented Nigeria’s over-reliance on university education, noting that it no longer guarantees employment.

According to him, many university graduates leave school without jobs, urging Nigerians to reassess the value of skills acquisition over paper qualifications.

“If you acquire skills, you will always be employable,” Bello said, adding that most of the graduates trained by the centre would become self-employed rather than waiting for government jobs.

He noted that the era of white-collar jobs was over and encouraged youths to embrace vocational skills such as tailoring, carpentry, bricklaying, plumbing and other trades.

Bello, a former Military Governor of Kano State, also observed that Nigeria lacks highly skilled artisans compared to neighbouring countries such as Ghana, Benin Republic and Niger Republic.
Advising the graduates, he said: “When you start working, do not cut corners.

In Nigeria, cutting corners is why we are not moving forward and why we produce substandard work. This training is only the beginning, not the end.”
In her remarks, the founder and Board Chairperson of the centre, Fatima Lami Abubakar, described the graduation as a defining moment rooted in years of vision, conviction and service.

She explained that the centre was established in honour of her late father, Alhaji Balarabe Umaru Audi, whom she described as a man defined not by material wealth but by integrity, discipline and commitment to the common good.

According to her, her father’s legacy continues to resonate across Niger State and northern Nigeria through institutions, people he mentored and values he upheld.

“Audi was often described as an incorruptible civil servant and an architect of transformation in the North. These are not exaggerations but reflections of a life lived with purpose,” she said.

Earlier, Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, represented by his deputy, Yakubu Garba, reiterated that youth empowerment remains central to the New Niger Agenda. He said the future of the state lies in the productivity, creativity and resilience of young people, noting that the Balarabe Umaru Audi Youth Centre would complement government efforts by expanding access to skills training at the community level.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of the centre, Daoda Kanneh, disclosed that BUAY-C was formally established on November 11, 2024, to inspire youths to reach their full potential through skills acquisition, coaching, empowerment and other value-adding services.