Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs, and others, have called on Nigerian Universities to produce graduates that will create jobs.
They made the call on Monday while speaking at the inaugural Gown-To-Town symposium, organised by the University of Port-Harcourt Alumni Association, Abuja chapter.
Jonathan, who was represented by Dr Stanley Lawson, the ex-MD of Apex Bank Group, in his brief remarks said graduates must be trained to develop their experiences.
“There is a kind gap between learning and research and preparing the product of these universities for the outside world,” he said.
On his part, Briggs said universities are expected to produce manpower, research, identify new ways of doing things and impact the environment in which they find themselves.
“We are reminded that universities are established with great expectations. They are seen as huge assets. It is expected that universities change the environment in which they are in. They are expected to produce manpower, research, identify new ways of doing things, impact the environment in which they find themselves.
“Looking at all these, it is no wonder that universities are currently being challenged to justify their existence. There are ways in which universities can justify their existence. Instead of churning out graduates who end up roaming the streets, we can ensure that graduates are sufficiently endowed. We need to ask ourselves, are we doing the right thing? Are we on the right course?,” Briggs queried.
Also speaking, the Abuja chapter president, UNIPort Alumni association, Phil Okoroafor, noted that the association decided to convene the gown-to-town symposium in other to enhance the marketplace readiness of graduates of the institution.
She said, “Our gathering today is our first step in the direction of our relevance to our esteemed alma mater, the University of Port Harcourt. Envisioned as an annual event, the ‘Gown to Town’ symposium is designed as our modest contribution to the efforts towards enhancing the marketplace readiness of graduates of our esteemed alma mater.
“Our objective, as expressed in the simplicity of the name we have given the symposium, is to help bridge the gap between academia and industry through programmes that will promote entrepreneurship and creative thinking among our graduates.”
For his part, the governorship candidate of Labour Party in Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, decried the poor state of the Nigerian universities.
Citing the 2022 Times ranking for universities, Otti noted that Nigerian universities were “moving in the wrong direction.”
