The Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has called for a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s education system from certificate-centred learning to skills and competence-based education.
Professor Okonkwo made the call while delivering the 14th Convocation Lecture of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD.
He stressed the need for the Federal Government and regulatory agencies to prioritise practical skills, innovation and graduate employability in setting educational standards.
The convocation lecturer said education should be treated as productive national infrastructure, requiring investments not only in classrooms and curricula but also in laboratories, workshops, research, digital infrastructure and partnerships with industries.
Professor Okonkwo urged the National Universities Commission, NUC, to shift its emphasis from what students are taught to what they can demonstrate they are capable of doing after graduation.
The airline executive also advocated an integrated education system that bridges the gap between academic and vocational learning, with universities becoming more practical and technical education increasingly knowledge-intensive.
Professor Okonkwo further called on the government to prepare the education sector for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, cybersecurity, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.
Addressing the graduating students, Professor Okonkwo urged them not to mistake their certificates for education itself, but to demonstrate the value of their learning through practical contributions to society.
In her welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Smaranda Olarinde said the theme of the lecture “Functional Education And The Nigerian Project: Strategic Human Capital Development For National Renewal” reflects the need to transform education from the mere acquisition of certificates into a purposeful instrument for developing the skills, competencies, character and innovative capacity required to drive national development.
While speaking, the founder of ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, called on the federal government to modify procedures for granting approval for the establishment of universities in the country.
Aare Babalola said the recommendations of the lecture delivered by Professor Obiora Okonkwo would be sent to the federal ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, NUC and other stakeholders for prompt actions to be taken to salvage the education sector.
