Let me tell you a bitter, naked and raw truth that, in my view, nobody in government, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the offices of vice chancellors or the ranks of professors has the courage to tell you.
Many of the courses being taught in Nigeria’s universities are outdated. I mean seriously outdated. Some have lost much of their relevance, yet we continue to preserve them and expect our children to carry the burden.
Beyond being outdated, some of these courses have become increasingly disconnected from Nigeria’s development needs, the economy, industry, the labor market and a 21st-century world driven by technology, skills, innovation, productivity and entrepreneurship.
They can amount to a monumental waste of time, money, energy and mental strength — and a waste of young people’s potential. Every year, we produce millions of graduates, but we are not producing enough solutions. We produce certificate holders, but not enough problem-solvers. We produce job seekers, but not enough job creators.
And that is one reason the country continues to struggle.
The sad reality on our streets
If we do not modernize our education system, overhaul our curricula and move away from an outdated, colonial, certificate-based system that emphasizes theory and rote learning, Nigeria will struggle to become a modern, progressive, competitive and prosperous nation.
We will continue to produce frustrated, angry, depressed, confused and unemployable graduates roaming the streets of Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano with certificates in expensive files but without the practical skills, relevance and employability needed to compete in today’s economy.
That is why you may find a first-class graduate of a course with limited employment prospects seeking a 40,000-naira job from someone who left school early but acquired a marketable skill.
That is why some graduates who spent five years at university end up learning cake-making, barbering or ride-hailing after graduation.
The university may have failed to prepare them adequately for the world of work. The system may have betrayed their expectations.
The four-year waste vs. the six-month wisdom
Think deeply about this painful reality:
If you spend four years studying a course that has little bearing on your future employment, business, survival or relevance — a situation the author believes affects more than 60% of courses in Nigerian universities — you may be better off reconsidering that path before committing those precious, energetic years of your life.
You may be better served by learning a relevant, marketable skill in six months, depending on the complexity of the skill and the quality of the training.
These skills could include coding, software development, data analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, UI/UX design, mobile app development, cloud computing, nursing, medical laboratory technology, pharmacy technology, solar installation and renewable energy.
Other options include electrical work, plumbing, welding, plaster of Paris (POP) installation, tiling, furniture-making, fashion design, leatherwork, shoemaking, digital marketing, copywriting, public relations and advertising, content creation, videography, professional photography, graphic design, video editing, agribusiness, poultry farming, fish farming, snail farming, catering, baking and pastry-making.
The list also includes other practical skills that solve real problems and can generate income.
Consider the person who spends four years studying a course that employers do not value highly, while another person acquires a relevant skill, develops a client base, builds a strong brand and establishes a profitable business.
By the time the graduate completes university, the skilled worker may have achieved financial stability, purchased a car, built a house or expanded the business to the point of employing graduates as personal assistants, secretaries, front-desk officers or messengers.
That is the painful truth: A certificate without a skill can leave a person struggling financially. A certificate without demonstrable value can lead to frustration.
Why are our universities still keeping outdated courses?
The answer, in the author’s view, is simple and shameful.
Our universities continue to retain outdated courses because they can be relatively inexpensive to run and may attract tuition and public funding without requiring substantial investment in modern laboratories, workshops, equipment, innovation hubs, research grants or industry partnerships.
Some courses can continue with little more than a classroom, a blackboard, a lecturer relying on decades-old notes and textbooks that have not kept pace with contemporary developments.
Meanwhile, students continue to pursue these courses because they want admission at all costs, want to be called graduates, want to please their parents or simply want to avoid staying at home.
This is not the kind of education Nigeria needs. It is a failure to prepare young people for the future. It is a betrayal of their expectations and a threat to national development.
A university that cannot produce graduates equipped for employment, entrepreneurship or further learning is failing in a central part of its mission. An education that does not equip people to earn a living or contribute meaningfully to society falls short of its potential.
The way forward: What we must do now
1. The government and NUC
Review university curricula and scrap, merge or modernize courses that are no longer relevant. Require universities to establish functional skills-acquisition centers, technology hubs and entrepreneurship laboratories. Link courses to industry needs and ensure that practical training complements classroom instruction.
There should be no more theory without meaningful practical application.
2. Vice chancellors and lecturers
Stop teaching only what you were taught in 1985. Update your knowledge, undertake modern training and embrace new methods of teaching and learning. The world has moved on, and higher education must keep pace.
3. Parents
Stop forcing your children to study courses simply because of family pride or social expectations. Before paying tuition, ask: Can this course adequately prepare my child for employment, entrepreneurship or further professional development after graduation?
If the answer is no, reconsider the investment and explore better options.
4. Students
Be wise. Stop chasing admission at all costs. It may be better to spend a year exploring suitable courses or acquiring a valuable skill than to spend four years studying a course that offers limited prospects.
Your future is more important than gaining admission merely for the sake of it.
Nigeria must wake up
The Federal Government must wake up. The NUC must wake up. Parents must wake up. Students must wake up.
Stop studying courses that have lost relevance without first considering their value in today’s economy. Stop choosing courses without examining their employment prospects, practical applications and potential to help you earn a living.
Study what the nation needs. Study what the world needs. Study what the market needs. Choose a course or skill that can help you put food on your table, earn an income and create value.
The era of going to university simply to be called a graduate should be over. A degree title alone is not enough. Employers and clients increasingly want to know what you can do, what problems you can solve and what value you can offer.
This is the era of skills. This is the era of value. This is the era of relevance. This is the era of productivity.
If your education does not equip you to solve real-life problems, create opportunities, start a business or compete for employment, then the certificate alone may not deliver the future you expect.
The choice is yours. Choose wisdom. Choose skills. Choose relevance.
