Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, SAN, has issued a compelling call for a complete restructuring of Nigeria's approach to skills development, declaring it the fundamental solution to the country's escalating youth unemployment crisis.
The former Minister of Defence delivered this urgent message during the 36th convocation lecture at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), where he addressed 2,727 graduands about the critical importance of practical skills in today's economy.
The Alarming Unemployment Statistics
Kayode described as "depressing and unacceptable" the current situation where 53.4% of Nigerian youth and graduates remain unemployed, citing data from the 2022 National Bureau of Statistics report.
"Many of us here today are convinced that unemployment is the single most important issue concerning the Nigerian youth," Kayode stated, emphasizing that while academic certificates remain valuable, they are insufficient for those aspiring to become entrepreneurs and employers of labor.
Bridging the Skills Gap for Economic Growth
The former minister stressed that the root cause of Nigeria's unemployment crisis lies in the skills gap and mismatch between what educational institutions produce and what employers actually need.
"The result of a lack of skills and skills mismatch is unemployability," Kayode explained. "Skills development, therefore, as a solution to unemployment, must be the most critical issue of interest for the Nigerian youth today."
Drawing lessons from other heavily populated nations, Kayode pointed to India and China as examples of countries that have successfully addressed similar challenges by properly aligning skills development with demand-driven growth sectors.
Practical Solutions and National Strategy
Kayode proposed a comprehensive approach that includes demand-driven reform of educational curricula from primary to tertiary levels and the mainstreaming of technical and vocational education and training.
He emphasized that federal and state governments must provide policy leadership, resource allocation, and regulatory oversight to support this skills revolution.
"I, like all well-meaning Nigerians, desire that young Nigerians acquire relevant, high-quality skills that translate into dignified employment, productive entrepreneurship, and national socio-economic development," Kayode stated passionately.
The former minister specifically identified key growth sectors in Nigeria that require skilled manpower, including agriculture, mining, technology, manufacturing, energy, and construction.
He urged the FUTA graduands and all Nigerian youth to choose and commit to learning at least one new practical skill to enhance their employability and entrepreneurial capabilities.
Kayode concluded that implementing a structured set of strategies to properly match skills development with requirements in identified growth sectors would be the game-changer Nigeria needs to harness the economic potential of its large youth population.
