Academics Propose Competence Based Evaluation as Panacea to Nigeria’s Structural challenges

Esther Oluku

Members of the Nigerian academic body who converged in Lagos for the 2025 African Education Roundtable and Qualifications Conferment have proposed competence based evaluation as panacea to Nigeria’s structural challenges.

The event, themed ‘Recognizing Competence: Practice-Based Qualifications, Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL), Skill Recognition (SR) and IS0-Certified Credentials(ICC) as Tools for African Educational & Economic Revamp’ was hosted by Omniversity Imperial College Missouri, United States of America, and conferred on twelve Nigerians three Professors of practice and nine Doctors of Practice.

In his conferment lecture, President and Chairman Board of Trustees Governing Council, Omniversity LLC Lagos Nigeria, Prof. Tokunbo Akeredolu-Ale, stated that accreditation of prior experiential learning, skill recognition and competence based evaluation is critical to revamping Nigeria’s economy.

He explained that while this conferment of practice based qualifications have been recognized globally, acknowledgement of practical skill in Nigeria is slow.

Speaking on the significance of this event, he noted that by recognising experience and competence, Nigeria will honour experience while encouraging the younger generation to balance certification with skill.

“We would like to have at best a mix of both education qualifications and practical knowledge so that people who would have otherwise not have been evaluated because they are out of the classroom would have a chance to be evaluated based on their competence and experience in their various fields.

“To elevate Nigeria’s education standards as it stands, there would be a fusion of practice with theory such that it is complementary. There will be a framework for analysing practice such that there is a conversion metric if possible where you can use practical experiences gained to gather academic qualifications in that regard such that we can now have better suited, well rounded personnel to carry out professions in different sectors of the economy thereby elevating the economy practically as opposed to theoretically.”

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tertiary Education, Lagos state, Mr Adeniran Kasali, who was represented by the Head of Department, Student Support, Mrs Olubunmi Ibidapo-Obe, noted that by moving beyond certifications, tertiary institutions can produce graduates that are fit for purpose.

On her part one of the honorees at the event who was conferred Professor of Practice, Dr Prisca Ndu, sharing her joy on the sidelines of the event said: “I am excited about this because it is an endorsement of the professional work I have put in both in the public and private sectors and it gives me joy to know that in an environment where money has become a priority, people can still appreciate hard work.”

Other honorees at the event include; Dr Francis Toromade; Dr Happiness Obioha; Mr Anthony Allen; Ladi Akeredolu-Ale; Mrs Adeola Allen; Mr Celestine Achi; Mr Samson Sokoya; Mr Ogunaike Adedayo; Adedamola Olubode; Mr Jerome Obada and Mrs Daisy Jaja.