Nigeria needs skilled problem-solvers, not certificate holders – ex-EKSU VC

L-R: EKSCOTECH Registrar, Mr Sunday Ayodeji; EKSCOTECH Council Chairman, Dr Femi Thomas; BOUESTI Council Chairman, Prof. Oladipo Aina; and EKSCOTECH Rector, Dr Olufemi Olubamise; during the maiden convocation lecture

The Pro-Chancellor of Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Prof. Oladipo Aina, has stressed the need for Nigeria to begin to prioritise skills, problem-solving and innovation, describing such as the foundation for national development.

Aina, a former Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, said it was high time the country moved away from a culture that placed greater value on academic certificates than practical competence.

The don spoke at Ekiti State College of Technology, Ijero-Ekiti, on Friday while delivering the institution’s combined convocation lecture entitled, “From skills to solutions: Repositioning technical education for Nigeria’s technological and industrial transformation.”

The convocation event will hold on Saturday, September 26, on the institution’s campus.

Aina said, “Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful industrialisation by producing graduates who possess certificates without the practical skills required to solve real-world problems. Nigeria does not merely need more graduates or certificates, but competent people capable of creating value, generating opportunities and solving problems.”

“Do not define yourself by your certificate. Never say, ‘I am only an HND holder.’ See yourself as a technically trained professional,” Aina told the graduating students.

The pro-chancellor advised that Nigeria must move from being predominantly a consumer of technology to becoming a nation of creators, adapters and innovators capable of developing solutions suited to its peculiar needs, as he advocated “a national skills-forecasting system capable of identifying emerging labour-market requirements before shortages became acute”.

Aina called for “stronger industry participation in curriculum development, modern laboratories and workshops, applied research, entrepreneurship, innovation and closer partnerships between technical institutions and employers”.

The don also proposed an annual EKSCOTECH Innovation and Technology Expo, “where students can display prototypes, researchers can showcase applied research, industries can present real-world problems, entrepreneurs can identify opportunities and investors can examine promising innovations.

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“Such an initiative will strengthen relationships between EKSCOTECH, industry, government, investors and the wider community while demonstrating that the institution is producing solutions rather than merely issuing certificates.

“There is need for government to treat technical education as strategic economic infrastructure. Modern curricula will have limited impact if students are trained with obsolete equipment,” the don said.

He charged the Ekiti State Government to regard the transformation of EKSCOTECH as a strategic investment in the state’s future productive capacity, as he called for “sustained investment in modern infrastructure, functional laboratories and workshops, digital connectivity, staff development, applied research, innovation, industry partnerships, entrepreneurship and sustainable financing”.

The Chairman, EKSCOTECH Governing Council, Dr Femi Thomas, lauded Aina for preferring what he described as solutions to challenges graduates faced after leaving tertiary institutions.

Thomas also hailed Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, for his support for the institution, saying the governor’s interventions had contributed significantly to its growth and development.

The Rector of EKSCOTECH, Dr Olufemi Olubamise, said the institution had been equipping students with practical skills aimed at making them self-reliant after graduation in view of its recognition of the importance of vocational and skills acquisition.

Olubamise said EKSCOTECH was also collaborating with relevant stakeholders to expand its academic and professional scope.

In attendance at the convocation lecture were representatives of the managements of sister higher institutions in Ekiti State, including BOUESTI, led by its VC, Prof. Babatunde Omojola; the Owa-Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Oba Adewole Adebayo; and other dignitaries.