President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Wednesday challenged vice-chancellors of the 328 Nigerian universities converging on Ilorin for their 37th assembly, to respond to the changing demands of labour market by ensuring that graduates produced meets the needs of labour markets.
He said the federal government alone cannot reform the Nigerian university’s systems and called on the university administrators to be prepared for a rapidly changing world.
He stated this while declaring open the 37th Annual General Assembly Conference of the Committee of Vice- Chancellors of Nigerian Universities holding at the University of Ilorin.
Vice- chancellors from a total of 328 Nigerian universities comprising 77 federal universities, 68 states universities and 168 private universities are participating in the three- day conference taking place at the University of Ilorin.
Represented by Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’idu Ahmed, the president challenged vice-chancellors to critically examine the quality and relevance of graduates being produced at a time when artificial intelligence, automation, biotechnology, data science, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing are reshaping the global economy.
“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?
“The world of work is changing rapidly, and universities must respond accordingly. Employers increasingly demand problem-solving ability, communication, teamwork, digital competence, creativity, entrepreneurship and adaptability alongside academic qualifications. We must therefore strengthen university-industry partnerships, expand internship and work-based learning opportunities, encourage entrepreneurship, and ensure that curricula remain responsive to labour-market needs,” he said.
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