Prioritizing Skill Acquisition Over Certificate; A Talk That Still Does Not Hold Water -By Ishaq Bilal

The lackluster in the Educational sector in Nigeria have informed the new trend calling for  the youths to prioritize skills acquisition over certificate. The old story which defines the pathway to self sustainability, success and good life, pegged as the dividend of Education that is, going to school so as to graduate and get a well paid job has now become the most dangerous advice that can be given to a child and also, said to be a scam which has seem to be so.

The Federal Government affirmation thought the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, of the need for the Nigerian youths to acquire skills as most important to acquiring certificates because of the problem and rate of unemployment confirms the dearth of the Education especially Tertiary Education in this country in providing the youths with a lead to being successful. This as well affirms that the Federal Government have accepted their failure in reducing what seems or use to be the most important investment on youths, the best legacy any individual can have to a nightmare thereby choosing and preaching the acquisition of skills as their escape route.

But of course, skills acquisition is indeed that venture that we can save us from the course of poverty and joblessness. Skill acquisition can help ensure self sustainability and self employment, if not also make us employers of labor.

 However, some questions still lingers that bothers to this new trending escape route.

Acquiring skills is wonderful, a saving grace which can help to save our face from being broke and depending, but do we really have that plain ground and enabling environment for this skills to flourish in Nigeria?

Well, this seems to be a rhetoric question left for us to ponder on and provide answers to in our minds.

But, with the harsh reality of the economy of the country and with how poverty have struck almost every house hold in the country, how do we establish ourselves? how do we make fortune? when start up capital isn’t feasible. 

Do we take loan? Of course that’s a dangerous risk that might backfire really bad or do we settle for the politically swayed empowerments done by the government? Empowerments that are made available for their own people who actually do not need them or people with connection or through bribery (people with legs). It’s still baffles me how many of the average Nigerian youths have these “legs”.

Also, it is important to consider our supposed customers or consumers of the end product or service of the skills we’ve acquired(that’s if we are able to establish ourselves). The dust of poverty has covered everywhere. The earnings of civil servants is still pegged at that unimaginable and unreasonable value which is no longer enough to cater for themselves and their family for the whole of the 30days in a month. Some are even hammered with unpaid salaries or percentage paid salaries. Meanwhile, the havoc of inflation still hovers around our daily buying and selling. People are therefore, forced by these conditions to settle for their basic needs. 

But, who then will patronize our products or services in the face of these harsh realities? Or do we all settle for those skills that provide the basic needs of the masses? But how well will the competition go and the business flourish, if all we offer is same? How then are we expected to meet our standards? I mean that level of self sustainability and living a good life?

Or do we settle for our rich bosses for patronage? Remember, these are the set of people who regard Nigerian made products or services as fake, unreliable and not up to their standard thereby opting for foreign made product and services. Even our “voted-in-supposed servants” rejected with anger the Nigerian made Innoson cars for their luxurious comfortability. Where and who do we run to?

Just as you have killed our educational system and the dividend that comes with it, ensure a safe pass in this new trend and escape route you are preaching for. You can’t preach for good without the tools for execution.

So these escape route the Federal Government have preached of is not really as smooth as it is proclaimed. There is need to build the bridge of enabling environment, availability of start-up capital, improving purchasing patronage, friendly economic condition, right orientation towards domestic made product and services and other factors. All these however points back to the government.