President Bola Tinubu has charged Nigerian universities to place greater emphasis on practical skills, innovation and problem-solving rather than concentrating primarily on the award of academic certificates.

🇳🇬 Here's What Happened

Tinubu said this was necessary for universities to produce graduates capable of driving Nigeria’s economic transformation and competing effectively in a rapidly changing global economy.

The president gave the charge on Wednesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, while speaking at the 37th Annual Conference and General Assembly of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities held at the University of Ilorin.

Represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaibat Ahmad, Tinubu described universities as strategic institutions in the country’s development, saying their responsibilities extended beyond awarding degrees.

📌 Key Details

“Universities are more than institutions where degrees are awarded. They are centres of knowledge creation, innovation, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, cultural development and national transformation,” he said.

According to the president, the quality of graduates produced by universities must be measured by their ability to apply knowledge, develop solutions and contribute meaningfully to society.

He said graduates were expected to be academically sound while also possessing qualities such as digital competence, entrepreneurship, adaptability, ethical conduct and innovative thinking.

Tinubu challenged university administrators to reassess the relevance of the education being offered to students against the demands of emerging technologies and changing labour markets.

“The question before us is no longer simply whether our universities are producing graduates. The more foundational question is: what kind of graduates are we producing? How effectively are our universities preparing them to contribute to Nigeria’s economic and social transformation?” he asked.

He said the challenge had become more urgent with the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, automation, biotechnology, data science, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

📰 Source: Punch Nigeria