Prince Adetokunbo Kayode, SAN, a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Defence, has attributed the staggering 53.4 percent unemployment rate among Nigerian youths and graduates to inadequate skills acquisition and a critical mismatch between educational training and labour market demands.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria delivered this sobering assessment while presenting the 36th convocation lecture at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, where 2,747 students received their degrees.
Speaking on the theme “Strategies and Tactics for Solving Skills Challenge in Nigeria: The Roles of Government, Institutions, and the Youth,” Kayode described the current unemployment situation as both depressing and unacceptable, emphasizing that skills development must become the foremost priority for Nigerian youth seeking to overcome joblessness.
The former Minister, who also served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, as well as Minister of Labour and Productivity, stressed that young Nigerians must acquire relevant, high-quality skills that translate into dignified employment, productive entrepreneurship, and contribute to national socio-economic development.
Growth Sectors Struggling with Skills Gap
Kayode identified agriculture, mining, technology, energy, and construction as Nigeria’s primary growth sectors but noted a persistent disconnect between what educational institutions produce and what employers actually need.
“There is a persistent mismatch between supply and employers’ needs,” the legal luminary explained, calling for a structured approach that properly aligns skills training with identified areas of sectoral development.
Commendation for National Skills Policy
The former Defence Minister commended the Federal Government for establishing the National Policy on Skills Development under the Federal Ministry of Education, which aims to equip Nigerian youth with essential skills by aligning educational curricula and training programs with industry requirements.
He stated that this policy framework could effectively bridge the gap between the education system and the labour market while creating a robust infrastructure for skills development nationwide.
Radical Reforms Required
However, Kayode insisted that implementing the policy’s goals requires radical restructuring. He advocated for a comprehensive overhaul of curricula from primary to tertiary levels to align with identified national growth sectors, noting the current lack of clarity regarding responsibility for curriculum development and strategic direction.
“Nigeria must move away from Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and other moribund agencies and break new ground,” Kayode declared, proposing the establishment of a dedicated National Skills Development Fund.
This proposed fund would draw resources from ITF, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), and the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) to specifically finance massive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) skills programs as a national priority.
Technology as an Equalizer
The former Minister emphasized the need for Nigeria to leverage technology by investing in e-learning infrastructure and digital platforms to democratize access to quality educational content and skills training, particularly in rural areas.
Direct Charge to Youth
Kayode delivered pointed advice to graduating students and young Nigerians, urging them to recognize that formal education represents merely the starting point of their professional journey.
“Young people must accept the fact that formal education is just the start and recognize the need for continuous upskilling and reskilling to remain competitive in a rapidly changing labour market,” he stated.
He challenged youths not to wait passively for institutions to provide everything but to actively pursue online courses, certifications, bootcamps, and apprenticeships in high-demand fields beyond traditional academic or TVET structures.
Entrepreneurship as Imperative
Kayode encouraged graduates to view themselves as future employers rather than perpetual job seekers, urging them to transform the current skills challenge into opportunities for skills acquisition, application, and innovation through small businesses or social enterprises.
“You must proceed on the basis that you will make progress and achieve only if you are an employer,” he advised. “The current skills challenge becomes an opportunity for starting small businesses or social enterprises, thus creating jobs for yourselves and others.”
Digital Literacy: A Non-Negotiable Requirement
Regardless of academic discipline, the former Minister stressed that digital literacy has become indispensable in the modern economy.
“Digital literacy is a must, irrespective of your degree. All modern jobs require a foundation in digital literacy. The richest people in the world today are people in the digital economy,” Kayode noted.
He pointed to successful young Nigerians in the creative economy and technology space as proof that digital skills, when scaled properly, can lead to exceptional success.
Government Implementation Gap
While praising federal policy initiatives, Kayode criticized both federal and state governments for implementation failures. He accused the federal government of “lighting a lamp and putting it under a table,” noting that laudable efforts remain shrouded in unnecessary red tape and bureaucratic inefficiencies.
State governments, he argued, have performed worse by failing to effectively integrate federal plans into their development strategies.
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