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As a result of rising unemployment among university graduates, President Bola Tinubu has charged the varsities to evolve job-creation curricula. The President, who spoke at the 36th convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), noted that the government recognized the critical role of science, technology and innovation in our national development. He tasked university teachers to pay close attention to the relevance of our curricula to employability, entrepreneurship and job creation. Tinubu also urged the universities to strengthen their role in driving national development through cutting-edge research, innovation, and improved industry collaborations.
The President, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, pointed out that the government alone cannot provide job opportunities for all graduates of Nigerian higher educational institutions. However, he promised that the government would continue to create an enabling environment for investments and businesses to thrive. Therefore, we urge the federal government to go ahead and create the enabling environment that will make businesses and industry to thrive.
First of all, government should enhance the ease of doing business in the country as well as encourage the development of manufacturing and non-oil sector. It must do away with over-dependence on crude oil as the major revenue earner. New businesses should be given incentives, including tax exemption to survive. Businesses will not grow where electricity is epileptic and where investors provide their own power, water, roads and even security. Upon that, they grapple with multiple taxation and other levies. The cost of doing business is so high that it discourages new and young investors.
The high interest rates and difficulty in securing loans can scare investors. The exchange rate volatility does not help matters. Frequent change of government policies encumbers businesses. Addressing these issues should be considered a priority by the federal government to assist the private sector in creating more jobs.
To the universities and other tertiary institutions, this is the time to make their curricula to align with job creation and entrepreneurship. Students should be equipped with marketable skills no matter their field of specialization. They should be exposed to internship training in relevant industries. According to available statistics, Nigeria produces approximately 600,000 university and polytechnic graduates annually. Also, about 1.8 million young Nigerians enter the job market annually.
It is worrisome that only about 450,000 formal jobs are created each year. The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) had warned that Nigeria should create at least 27 million new formal jobs by the year 2030 or 4.5 million jobs annually to prevent unemployment from worsening. Currently, there is intense competition for the limited jobs in the formal sector. According to the Nigerian Bureau for Statistics, many graduates end up in underemployment or face significant unemployment, with rates exceeding 40 per cent for youth and 20 per cent for graduates. Instructively, the President has enjoined university graduates to explore the agricultural value chain, which he described as a goldmine capable of generating jobs and wealth.
Agriculture is one sector that can create millions of jobs if it is fully developed. With enough arable land, body of waters and good climate, Nigeria can feed its teeming population and export the excess to other markets in Africa and beyond. Nigeria is a major producer of crops like cassava, cocoa, cashew, and yam. We have enormous potential for animal husbandry and fish farming as well. The government should embark on mechanized farming and make farming attractive to Nigerian youths. Our agricultural produce must be processed for us to earn more revenue from agriculture.
The era of selling only agricultural raw materials is over. Credit facilities should be given to young graduates for them to profit from the agricultural value chain. Other businesses that young graduates may be interested in should also be encouraged. There is the need for government to build more technical colleges and polytechnics which will give marketable skills and entrepreneurship training to their graduates.
The time of producing graduates without skills is, indeed, over. Some courses in the liberal arts can be combined to make them relevant to the job market. Some can be streamlined for maximum impact. Our varsity curricula must reflect the needs of the society. The universities’ researches should align with the needs of the industry. The NUC and employers of labour should work together with other stakeholders in the higher education sector to fashion out curricula that will engender entrepreneurship and job creation. We must deemphasize white-collar jobs.
University graduates should not limit themselves to their fields of study, as there are better opportunities in adjacent fields. They should train for more skills to fit into some areas in industry. At the same time, the universities should work in synergy with companies and industries to enable their students get practical experience before graduation.
