Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum bemoaned the talent disparity among recent Nigerian graduates on Monday.
The governor claims that a significant contributing factor to the nation’s high rate of youth unemployment is the mismatch between the skills graduates acquire and the skills required by the labor market.
Speaking at a lecture to mark the 75th anniversary of the University of Ibadan, the governor—who is also a professor—noted that a significant portion of university graduates across the country do not possess the skills needed to successfully compete in the highly competitive job market.
Get Instantly Update By: Joining Our Whatapps and Telegram Channel
In honor of the University of Ibadan’s 75th anniversary, Zulum gave the first of several lectures with the theme “Leadership, Citizenship, and Meeting Contemporary Social Justice in Nigeria.”
The governor lamented the discrepancy between their education and the demands of the job market.
He also emphasized the negative effects of this mismatch, such as elevated rates of underemployment, high unemployment, and decreased productivity.
Professor Zulum emphasized that resolving this issue is essential to both Nigeria’s poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth.
He emphasized the role that colleges would play in molding the nation’s workforce of the future and the necessity of their ongoing adaptation to the needs of the changing labor market.
More work needs to be done by our universities in the fields of research and tying research to businesses that can turn concepts into products that can be sold both domestically and abroad. In order for our universities to become hubs for the generation of concepts and solutions that might draw large-scale investment, we need to think about reorganizing them, according to Zulum.
The governor mentioned the inadequate curriculum in many postsecondary institutions, the speed at which technology is developing, and the shifting demands of the sector.
But he also emphasized the value of transferable skills in preparing graduates and those unable to attend school for the workforce for success—skills like entrepreneurship and vocational training.
Drawing on his experiences in Borno State, Zulum stated that in five years, his administration has constructed 19 smaller technical and vocational training institutes as well as five new mega-sized institutes to address the issues of unemployment and restlessness among young people.
Zulum also urged the populace to have a sense of patriotism and to hold those in authority responsible.
“I want to inspire the people of this wonderful nation that, even though things take time, it is our collective duty to demonstrate leadership in whatever capacity,” Zulum stated.