The Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, Dr Muhammed Aminu Muhammed, has declared that technical education remains Nigeria's strongest pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national economic growth, as he inspected the conduct of the 2026 May/June NABTEB examinations at the Federal Technical College, Awka, Anambra State.

Muhammed said the future of Nigeria depends on equipping young people with practical skills that enable them to create jobs rather than wait for white collar employment.

"Technical education remains Nigeria's strongest pathway to employment, entrepreneurship, and national economic growth. The future of Nigeria depends on equipping young people with practical skills that will enable them to create jobs rather than wait endlessly for white collar jobs," he stated.

The NABTEB registrar disclosed that more than 167,000 candidates are sitting the 2026 examinations nationwide, with 226 candidates taking their papers at the Awka centre alone. His visit forms part of a nationwide monitoring exercise covering examination centres across the country.

Muhammed inspected the Physics practical examination, assessed the candidate's organisation, and interacted with supervising officials. He expressed satisfaction with the Awka centre, describing it as among the most organised technical colleges visited during the nationwide tour.

Reflecting on the overall conduct of the examinations, he said this year's exercise had recorded remarkable improvement over 2025, attributing the progress to stronger supervision by school principals, better coordination by NABTEB officials and increased security agency support.

"In every area, this year's examination is better than last year's," he said.

The registrar stressed that the practical component of NABTEB examinations remains central to the board's mission of producing graduates with employable skills, maintaining that expanding technical education is essential to reducing unemployment and building a more productive economy.