The Diminishing Value of Formal Qualifications in Nigeria’s Labour Market -By Isah Kamisu Madachi

The ubiquitous use of social media and other online platforms, marking the advent of the digital era facilitated by technological advancements, has revolutionized the Nigerian economy and labor market. The longstanding tradition of obtaining certificates and waiting for office work is declining, leading to a paradigm shift in the Nigerian certificate-based economy from valuing certificates to emphasizing skills, which is akin to the trend in developed countries. It is silently moving from your paper to what you can offer.

While I was not born in 1970s and 80s, I believe it was very difficult, if not impossible, to find someone with a certificate gained from a Nigerian institution engaged in skilled trades such as carpentry, tiling, wiring, and plumbing. During that period, when a certificate was earned, the expectation was to be employed by the government or a private organization. However, the contemporary scenario is different as it is common to find individuals with higher degree qualifications but still actively engaged in such works. The emphasis on the value of practical skills is evident in almost everywhere including social media, classrooms, public lectures and capacity building seminars.

Drawing from my background as a sociology student, I’m engaged in various activities such as YouTubing, blogging, essay writing, and video editing. A friend of mine, a law graduate, works with a radio station because of his oratory prowess. My mentor, who graduated years before I joined university, now works with a leading newspaper in Nigeria because of his ability to write well. It is a common misconception among Nigerians to equate education or skill with certificates.

As a student, I have witnessed how things have totally changed. An internationally respected lecturer from my department who also worked in the same profession in the United States of America for many years remarked that for the time he spent there, nobody had ever inquired to see his certificate. He only lists his certifications and compliments them with the knowledge and skills attached.

This shift from certificate-based education to skill-based education is affecting the Nigerian education system because, despite the evolving changes in this endeavor, the Nigerian education system seems to have found it difficult to adapt to the new reality. In schools, the focus is still highly on the certificates and theoretical aspects of the courses offered, instead of skills. This, I suppose, continues to create discrepancies between what the job market needs and what schools produce.

Seeing overwhelming numbers of Nigerian graduates roaming the streets unemployed led frustrated Nigerian youth to conclude that school is a scam, chanting the popular “school na scam” phrase. This conclusion descended on even those who have yet to experience the reality of life after graduation. Gradually, it becomes popular to the extent that overwhelming youth in Nigeria today choose to behave as if they just come to school to acquire the certificate but to learn nothing, despite the seemingly irrelevance of the certificate in the job market.

To adapt to the changing global trend, Nigeria requires education reform to address the production of half-baked graduates, which is a consequence of the unfavorable learning conditions created by underfunding education. Many experts have raised alarms about the outdated nature of the Nigerian education curriculum, pointing out its mismatch with the needs of the Nigerian labor market. Effective reforms are necessary to address these issues.

Isah Kamisu Madachi, a fresh sociology graduate, writes from Katagum L.G.A, Bauchi State, and can be reached via isahkamisumadachi@gmail.com

Thank you for considering my submission.

Sincerely,
Isah Kamisu Madachi
isahkamisumadachi@gmail.com
07033703085