Nigeria’s education system requires urgent reform to meet the demands of today’s workplace, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Mr. Sonny Echono, has warned. He said the current structure is not preparing graduates for modern employment, contributing to rising youth unemployment.
Delivering the 13th convocation lecture of Nile University in Abuja, titled “Redefining the Nigerian Education System for the 21st Century Workforce,” Mr. Echono stressed that universities must realign their curricula, teaching methods, and priorities with contemporary economic realities. He said the system must bridge the gap between theory and the practical skills employers require.
“Education must focus on access, quality, and measurable outcomes. Our graduates should acquire skills for national and individual efficiency, technological innovation, and sustainable growth,” he said, noting that the country is still operating with an inadequate post-independence, colonial-era structure.
He listed longstanding challenges—insufficient funding, outdated curricula, irregular teacher salaries, policy inconsistency, and poor infrastructure—as barriers to producing work-ready graduates.
Mr. Echono urged tertiary institutions to respond to societal needs by prioritising workforce-oriented programmes, skills acquisition, and research-led innovation. He called for stronger collaboration between the government and private sector to modernise education, saying national development depends on producing employable and socially responsible graduates.
“Sustainable nation-building relies on graduates who can meet the skill needs of today’s workforce,” he said.
