Varsity Don Urges FG to Declare National Skills Emergency to Move Nigeria Forward

Ibrahim Oyewale  in Lokoja

A varsity don, Professor  Christian Ezeibe, has urged the federal government to declare national skills emergency if Nigeria really wanted to join other industrial nations.

Ezeibe made this call yesterday while speaking as guest lecturer at the 5th Combined Convocation Ceremony of the Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja.

He lamented that at 21st century Nigeria is still relying on foreign skills in every sphere of development, which he said has slowed down the nation’s progross in many decades.

He explained that despite the annual proliferation of graduates by both universities, polytechnics and other institutions of higher learning, there is still huge skills shortage.

The varsity don noted that with the serious challenge of huge gab, Nigeria is still maintaining a high speed in wrong direction.

He therefore tasked the federal government as matter of urgency to scrap the discriminatory HND/BSc dichotomy once and for all and make skills, not just certificate and national currency of employability.

He called on the decision makers to prioritise polytechnics and technical colleges, adding that there should be mandate for industry collaboration.

Ezeibe also identified some of the critical impediments mitigating against skills-oriented programmes in
Nigeria.

According to him, “Institutions like Yaba College of Technology, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, and indeed Kogi State Polytechnic, have produced outstanding graduates who are excelling locally and internationally. Many of our indigenous engineers, architects, and technologists are polytechnic products. We have held the fort.

He said the daunting challenges include infrastructure decay, outdated workshops, obsolete equipment, and dilapidated laboratories. “How do you train a 21st-century welder with 1970s welding sets? How do you teach automation without programmable logic controllers?

“Funding starvation, polytechnics receive a fraction of the funding allocated to universities. The 2024 budget allocates approximately N1.5 trillion to education, with the lion’s share going to universities. TVET gets crumbs.

“Industry-academia disconnect, the curriculum is often outdated, and lecturers may lack contemporary industry exposure. There is weak formal linkage for student internships, faculty sabbaticals in industry, and joint R&D.

“Societal stigma, the corrosive ‘polytechnic vs. University’ dichotomy and the discriminatory HND/BSc dichotomy have demoralised students and devalued the polytechnic brand and brain drain. The few highly skilled graduates and instructions we  produce are often lured abroad or into non-technical sectors by better remuneration and working  condition,” Ezeibe explained.