Stop Producing Valueless Graduates – Bisi Akande Tells Universities

Former Governor of Osun State, Chief Adebisi Akande has advised Nigerian universities to work to prioritize quality over quantity in their academic programmes.

Chief Akande said most Nigerian graduates cannot add any value to the economy of the country. He stated that emphasis should be on skill acquisition.

Speaking at his residence in Ila-Orangun, Osun State during a visit by the Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University (EKSU), Professor Babatola Ayodele, and other principal officers, Akande stressed the need for a rejig of the nation’s educational system.

“If you want global competition, you can’t wait. Universities should avoid producing graduates that cannot add value to the economy,” Akande said.

According to him, “going to school is not work, but the beginning of learning how to work”, noting the urgency of adapting to global competitiveness to avoid being left behind.

The EKSU Alumni commended the school’s latest recognition as the best state university in Nigeria by Times Higher Education, attributing the achievement to knowledgeable leadership.

On his part. Professor Ayodele, who led the delegation, described the visit as an opportunity to seek advice from the elder statesman.

He stated that skill acquisition was necessary for all graduates to be globally competitive.

“No student graduates from the university without acquiring relevant skills in one vocation or the other.

“This prepares them for profitable engagements after graduation instead of hunting for white-collar jobs,” Leadership quoted him.