By Gift ChapiOdekina 

Abuja — Edufax Limited, an education and skills development firm, has unveiled a nationwide empowerment initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment, boosting agricultural productivity, and driving grassroots economic development in line with the Federal Government’s economic agenda.

Briefing journalist in Abuja, Mr. Kareem Aderemi, Chairman of Edufax Limited, said that his organization integrates education, agriculture, skills acquisition, and community-based development into what he described as a “no-shortcut” pathway to sustainable national prosperity.

Aderemi said the initiative is anchored on the belief that education remains “the brain behind all success and failure in life,” adding that practical, process-driven learning must replace theory-heavy systems if Nigeria is to overcome poverty and unemployment.

“At the heart of the plan is the National Rapid Economic Development Project, which will operate through two major platforms: schools and communities.

“For communities, Edufax is rolling out the National Grassroots Economic Development Project (NAGREG), while schools will benefit from the Nigerian Schools National Productivity Increase Project, implemented in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to Adiremi, the Ministry has already approved the programme for all primary and junior secondary schools nationwide, with approvals for senior secondary and post-secondary institutions currently in progress.

“One of the programme’s most striking proposals is a model under which participating students could have their school tuition covered through engagement in structured empowerment and productivity programmes.

“This is about process,” Adiremi said. “Just as you don’t eat bean cake without first processing the beans, education must move from study to practice.”

He disclosed that Edufax plans to conduct a massive recruitment exercise of 65,000 people per state, amounting to over 2.3 million participants nationwide, a scale he described as unprecedented in global history. Recruits will undergo a three-month probation period during which they are expected to establish at least two community-based productive entities tailored to local needs, ranging from farming and water-related projects to other area-specific economic activities.

The initiative also places strong emphasis on parental engagement, with sensitisation programmes designed to strengthen family values and support youth development.

“A nation cannot fail if parents are doing their jobs and society is supporting a working government,” Adiremi said, stressing that the project is meant to complement, not compete with, government efforts.

Responding to questions on the project’s track record, Adiremi said the initiative has been in development for over a decade, undergoing multiple pilot phases, failures, and refinements. He noted that past interventions have touched sports, entertainment, tourism, and agriculture across several states, including programmes in 105 secondary schools and 48 primary schools, as well as the cultivation of over 200 hectares of farmland in earlier phases.

He added that the project now enjoys technical support from Indian partners and endorsement from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, particularly for its organic, non-GMO agricultural focus.

For 2026, Edufax plans to roll out targeted programmes including seed-to-seedling acceleration, sports and talent development initiatives, machinery operator training, fish production cycles, and sheep and goat development schemes covering production, processing, branding, and marketing.

Additional commodity-focused programmes are planned for 2027.

Adiremi explained that even participants in sports and entertainment programmes will be required to contribute to agricultural tasks, such as raising seedlings, as part of a broader strategy to ensure food security and shared national responsibility.

Addressing concerns about implementation capacity and funding, he said the model relies on structured partnerships with commodity associations, grassroots organisations, and market off-takers, stressing that capital and promotion — not markets — are the missing links in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.

He also outlined a deliberate strategy to promote Nigeria-made goods, noting that up to 90 per cent of prizes in Edufax-sponsored competitions will be locally produced items, creating ready markets for domestic producers.

“Our model is simple,” Adiremi said. “We must merge a service-based economy with a production-based economy. That is how the developed world succeeded, and that is how Nigeria will rise.”

He expressed confidence that, if fully implemented, the programme would reposition Nigeria to compete with leading global economies in living standards, productivity, and resource development.

“In the years ahead,” he said, “Nigeria will not just catch up — Nigeria will lead.”