By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.
Judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Acting Chancellor, Salem University, Lokoja, Justice Stephen Jonah Adah
has urged Nigerian universities to align educational curricular and outcomes with emerging market demands and workplace dynamics.
The Acting Chancellor who is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the institution, made the call in his opening speech at the 6th Combined Convocation Ceremony of the University on Friday in Lokoja.
Justice Adah said the prevailing economic situation had placed demand on the universities to focus more and more on imparting not just theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills to capture evolving industry and labour market realities.
He also called on government to put in place policies, programmes and strategies to address labour market distortions, saying that government, universities and other tertiary institutions had roles to play to douse the fire being ignited by unemployment.
“As we bid these graduates farewell from the secure walls of the university, we must express our worries about the danger signals from the turbulent Nigerian labour market to where they are bound.
“The exit of some foreign companies, the contraction of employment positions, as reported by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and the high mortality rate of small informal sector businesses including some monetary and fiscal policies, account for the steep rise in unemployment rate, put recently at 5.3 per cent by Nigerian Labour Force Survey.
He urged the students as “Change Agents” to deploy the skills they have acquired in the cause of their studies to create jobs for themselves and others rather than wait on government.
“It might interest you to know that 87. 3 per cent of Nigerian workers are self-employed, according to the Nigerian Labour Force Survey of the 3rd Quarter 2023. You could proudly be one of them” he urged.
In same vein, Bishop Enobong Etteh, Acting Pro-Chancellor of Salem University, charged the fresh graduates to employ some of the 21st century skills in creativity, innovation and enterprise to overcome the challenges of unemployment.
The Bishop said that the graduands would certainly be confronted with challenges arising from the congested nature of the Nigerian labour market.
“One of the challenges you are certain to confront, as every young graduate in the present day Nigeria, will be from the congested nature of the Nigerian labour market where youth employment runs at a record rate of 8.2 per cent, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.
“Waiting for paid or white-collar employment may occasion frustration. This is where I challenge you to employ some of the 21st century skills you have acquired from this university to think outside the box, to act instead of waiting to be acted upon.
“The labour market challenges should offer you the unique opportunity to convert your knowledge and skills to goods or services that meet the needs of your local or larger global communities”, he said.
Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Alewo Johnson Akubo rendering the account of his four years of stewardship, said all courses of the University had gotten full accreditation.
He added that seven new programmes have been licenced by the National Universities Commission in 2023 to commence Post graduate studies up to PhD levels.
Prof. Akubo poured encomium on the founding Chancellor, Arch Bishop Sam Amaga for his relentless service to humanity and particularly his commitment to the cause of orphans above primordial considerations.
a total of 497 graduands were being awarded various degrees at the Convocation ceremony with 471 First Degree graduates broken down into 42 First Class Division; 247 Second Class Upper division.
Others are 176 Second Class Lower Division and six in the 3″ Class Division 26 others graduated from the Post Graduate School with 20 M.Sc., five MBA and one PGD. (Ends)