The Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, CON,
on Saturday offered a comprehensive recipe on how to deal with the hydra-headed
problem of graduate unemployment confronting the country.
Speaking at the maiden convocation of Delta
State Polytechnic Ozoro, Uduaghan noted that the curricula of the nation’s
institutions of higher learning should be tailored towards producing graduates
that would be self-employed.
Uduaghan, who commended the Rector of the
institution, Dr. Jacob Oboreh for judiciously deploying the internally
generated revenue (IGR) of the school to develop about 30 infrastructural
projects under two years, also advocated the inclusion of business studies into
the course content of every discipline in institutions of higher learning in
the country.
He observed that the problem of graduate
unemployment were about 30 million youths are said to be in the labour market
in the country was a big challenge that government at the various levels alone
could not solve.
According to him, there was the need not
just for the training institutions but also for the respective governments to
fashion out programmes and policies aimed at producing graduates that would be
self-reliant.
“So whatever we are doing as a state, our
Delta beyond Oil is geared towards how we can engage some of these youths as
they come out. In this development programme, we believe in self-employment.
“The challenge is how do we get you
(graduates) to become self-employed. There is the challenge of educating you
not just in your specialty but also how to manage the business and of course
there is also the area of funding if you have to be self-employed,”
But the governor noted that self-employment
programmes and initiatives were incomplete without sound knowledge of business
management skills.
He therefore urged institutions of higher
learning in the country to incorporate business studies into the various
disciplines so that graduates would have the acumen to successfully manage
their enterprises.
Uduaghan commended a graduate , Paul Odaji,
who in his valedictory address on behalf of his colleagues ,informed the
governor that he has started a fisheries on his own, assuring him of the state
government’s assistance in fast tracking the business.
Uduaghan commended the rector, whom he
christened, “a developer” for judiciously utilising the IGR of the school to
develop about 30 infrastructural projects within the space of two years.
The gesture the governor explained has
reaffirmed his belief that managements of higher institutions should be allowed
to manage their IGR without remittance to the state government.
Earlier in his address, Commissioner for
Higher Education, Prof. Hope Eghagha,had called on institutions of higher
learning in the state to key into the government’s Delta beyond Oil programme
with a view to producing graduates that would be self-reliant, while also
commending academic staff of the polytechnic for not joining the strike action
by their counterparts across the country.
Oboreh, the Rector reeling out the
developmental strides of his administration, commended the governor for the
unflinching support and free hands that he has given the management to run the
affairs of the school.
Distinguished Nigerians, including the
senator representing Delta Central, Chief Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, a member of
the House of Representatives, Mr. Leo Ogor, Chief Nelson Utieyione, President
of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, and Chief Solomon Ogba were conferred
with honourary fellowship of the institution.
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