OLOWU LAMENTS DECLINING QUALITY OF NIGERIAN GRADUATES, SEEKS STRONGER INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA TIES
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, has expressed concern over the declining relevance of graduates produced by Nigerian tertiary institutions, attributing the trend to a widening disconnect between academia and industry.
The monarch said many graduates lack the knowledge and practical skills required by employers, making it increasingly difficult for industries to recruit candidates who can effectively meet workplace demands.
Oba Matemilola spoke on Thursday in Abeokuta during the unveiling of a 10 Gigabits-per-second fibre optic infrastructure and smart campus initiative at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), implemented in partnership with the Advanced Technological Incubation and Research Centre.
He said the initiative is aimed at bridging the long-standing gap between the classroom and industry by promoting practical learning, research, innovation and the commercialisation of research outputs.
“One of the key problems we have, particularly in Nigeria, is that our institutions are not properly equipped to carry out research the way it should be done, compared with our counterparts in the West and South Asia.
“With that, we are rapidly losing ground. Through this research work, we hope to compete with the rest of the world,” the monarch said.
Oba Matemilola noted that the weak relationship between industries and tertiary institutions has reduced opportunities for collaboration, as many organisations no longer see sufficient value in research produced by Nigerian institutions.
“That’s one of the reasons why many of the big companies in Nigeria do not relate to what we usually describe as the ‘town and gown’ relationship. The gap that has been created between the town and gown is because many industries do not find relevance in the work being done in our institutions,” he added.
He expressed optimism that the new digital infrastructure would expose students to hands-on learning, strengthen research capacity and encourage the development of solutions to real-life industrial challenges.
The traditional ruler further described the 10Gbps fibre optic infrastructure as a transformative project capable of positioning MAPOLY among the most technologically advanced tertiary institutions in West Africa if effectively utilised.
Earlier, the Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Dr Babatunde Jolaoso, described the initiative as a major milestone that would improve the institution’s research capabilities, digital learning environment and global competitiveness.
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