Ogun monarch decries gap between graduates, industry needs

Oba Saka Matemilola, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, has voiced concern over the declining relevance of graduates from Nigerian tertiary institutions, stating they often lack the essential knowledge and practical skills demanded by the industry.

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One of the key problems we have, particularly in Nigeria, is that our institutions are not properly equipped to carry out research the way it should be done, compared with our counterparts in the West and South Asia.

The monarch attributed this issue to a significant disconnect between academic institutions and the professional world. For decades, employers have reportedly struggled to find graduates who can readily adapt to workplace requirements. Oba Matemilola highlighted this problem during the unveiling of a 10 Gigabits-per-second fibre optic infrastructure and smart campus initiative at Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, a project developed in partnership with the Advanced Technological Incubation and Research Centre.

"One of the key problems we have, particularly in Nigeria, is that our institutions are not properly equipped to carry out research the way it should be done, compared with our counterparts in the West and South Asia," Oba Matemilola stated. He warned that Nigeria is rapidly losing ground in research capabilities. The new initiative, he hopes, will foster practical learning, research, and innovation, enabling the country to compete globally and address real-life industrial challenges.

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And with that, we are rapidly losing ground compared with our colleagues in the West and South Asia. So, with this research work that we’ll be able to do, we hope to compete with the rest of the world.

He further explained that this academic-industry gap often leads to a lack of engagement between "town and gown," as many industries do not perceive relevance in the work conducted within educational institutions. The newly unveiled digital infrastructure at MAPOLY is expected to reverse this trend by providing students with hands-on experience and supporting research aimed at solving practical industrial problems. The Rector of MAPOLY, Dr. Babatunde Jolaoso, described the facility as a milestone that will enhance the institution's global competitiveness.

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That’s one of the reasons why many of the big companies in Nigeria do not relate to what we usually describe as the ‘town and gown’ relationship. The gap that has been created between the town and gown is because many industries do not find relevance in the work being done in our institutions. And I’ve been in that position before.