One of the greatest challenges facing Nigerian graduates today is not just obtaining a degree but securing meaningful employment. The job market has become highly competitive, and many young people step into it with little preparation beyond academic knowledge.
This is why initiatives like the employability skills training recently organised by the University of Maiduguri Counselling and Human Development Centre deserve commendation.
At the event, final-year students were taken through practical sessions on writing CVs, cover letters, job and scholarship applications, as well as preparing for interviews. These are not luxuries; they are essential tools for survival in today’s workforce.
Employers are increasingly seeking graduates who combine knowledge with problem-solving ability, communication skills, and adaptability. A graduate without these competencies is at a clear disadvantage.
The Vice-Chancellor, represented at the programme, rightly emphasised that universities must provide holistic education that goes beyond lectures and examinations. This should become a culture across all higher institutions in Nigeria. Our universities cannot continue to produce graduates who are brilliant on paper but helpless in the workplace.
I urge other universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education to borrow from this model and establish regular employability training for final-year students. Government agencies, industries, and NGOs should also collaborate with institutions to bridge the gap between school and the labour market.
Education should be about preparing students for life, not just for graduation day. If more Nigerian graduates are equipped with employability skills, our unemployment crisis can be reduced, and the country will harness the full potential of its youthful population.
Fatima Ali Isa
Department of masscommunication university of Maiduguri.
This is so realistic