Summit: Mbah, Ex-Governor, Former Minister, Others Harp On Importance Of Youths Academic Skills

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Prominent personalities from ‘Agbaja’, a culturally related people found in Udi, Ezeagu, and parts of Enugu North, Enugu south Council areas of Enugu state and have excelled in their various fields of human endeavours have stressed the need for Nigeria  to start focusing on producing youths that possess both academic qualifications and skills, so as to enable them face modern day societal challenges.

They stated this on Wednesday at the ongoing Agbaja Summit 2025, taking place in Enugu under the Chairmanship of professor Chike Anibeze, with the Theme: ‘Reviving Our Culture, Building our Heritage. 

Amongst other dignitaries present at the  colourful event included, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Uche Ugwu, Senator Osita Ngwu, representing Enugu West Senatorial districts, Hon. Sunday Umeha, representing Udi/ Ezeagu federal constituency, House of Representatives, erudite Monsignor professor Obiora Ike, former Deputy governor of the state, Mrs Cecilia  Ezeilo, prof.  Agu Gab Agu, Real Estate merchant, Dr. Ugo Chime,  Chief Loretta Aniagolu, amongst others.

Declaring the summit open, Governor  Mbah, who was represented by the state commissioner for Environment, Prof. Sam Ugwu, disclosed the huge tourism potential of Agbaja communities and commended their efforts at rejuvenating their identity and shared heritage.

 Mbah noted that the Summit was not merely an event, but a movement in pursuit of excellence, identity, and collective progress.

The Governor told the participants  that prospering nations of the world are not because of their mineral wealth, but because they invest in human capital, technology, and innovation and commended their drive for education and skills empowerment. 

“Knowledge has become the new currency of power. Skills have become the new economic passport. In Enugu State, we have committed ourselves to this global reality. 

“That is why we are building: 260 Smart Schools, one in every ward, with world-class digital classrooms and laboratories.

“A reformed curriculum that moves our children from memorization to coding, robotics, critical thinking, and problem-solving. A network of skill acceleration centres that prepare our youth for the modern economy. 

According to him, “Our vision is simple but ambitious: to make Enugu State the skills capital of Nigeria,”.

The Patron Agbaja Leaders of Thought and former Governor of Enugu State, Mr. Sullivan Chime noted that the summit addresses education empowerment which he said remains the cornerstone of the the future of Agbaja people.

“The pursuit of Education and Empowerment actually underlines and enunciates the driving philosophy and innate attributes of the Agbaja people. It is actually, in our DNA, to create, produce, reform and advance society. 

He added that “The transformational contributions of Agbaja- born leaders of yore remind us that today’s realities demand renewed investment in education and skills development across Agbaja land,” .

Chime emphasized that in preaching and working towards the development of Agbajaland, they are not being provincial nor promoting divisions or rivalry with other sections of the state, but only making their own contribution, telling their own story and lending their own support to efforts that have been made and being made to revive or adopt policies, actions, thoughts or ideas that are necessary for the rapid and sustainable development or advancement of the whole society.

In his remark, Chairman of the summit planning committee, Prof Chike Anibeze, explained  that the Coal City of Enugu came alive again as they gathered to celebrate their identity, strengthen bonds and chart a visionary path for their collective future.

Anibeze said that Agbaja is uniquely bound by history, culture, and an enduring spirit of kinship, recalling that when the Agbaja Leaders of Thought, under the guidance Prof Chinedu Nebo, conceived the maiden Summit in 2022, it was out of a deep desire to reconnect a people whose unity appear to have been weakened by modern boundaries. 

“That maiden Summit was a turning point. Beyond the colourful displays of the Economic and Investment Forum and the unforgettable Cultural Carnival, it gifted us something far more important: a renewed sense of purpose and the spirit of collective endeavour.”

He stated that the purpose emerged the Agbaja Development Blueprint — a 12-point agenda addressing education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment and entrepreneurship, inspiring countless philanthropic and collective educational development agenda leading to the 2023 Agbaja Declaration that ensured that no Agbaja child goes to school without sandals and a bag. 

“These steps, though modest, reaffirmed our shared responsibility and communal pride. It inspired in countless of us the need to spread their efforts beyond the boundaries of their immediate families,” 

The colloquium featured donations for the launch of Agbaja center of Excellence, a proposed skills acquisition center and awards for deserving sons and

Also speaking, Chairman of the Summit Records and Communique Sub Committee, Professor Okey Oji, of the Enugu state university of science and Technology ESUT, said they are trying to use the summit to build up thematic issues and innovation in certain areas.

He noted that the first summit was based on the economy, stressing that after assessing the progress of the first summit, they felt  that the second summit should be based on education.

Professor Oji said they have followed the pattern set by the current  Enugu State Governor in the education and brings it down to the grassroots.

He added that they equally followed certain efforts by the Agbaja inteligencias in building education  in the territory, adding that they had intervention from Monsignor Professor Obiorah Ike and others.

The event witnessed conferment of awards to various sons and daughters of Agbaja who contributed to the development of the area.

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