21st December, 2012
The Secretary General, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin branch, Mr Sulyman Abaya, says the present education curriculum is responsible for unemployment in the country.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Ilorin that the curriculum was not designed to meet the emerging needs and challenges of the nation.
Abaya said: “There is a fundamental defect in the nation’s education system and a revisit of the education curriculum will go a long way in addressing unemployment in the country.
“This will curb insecurity on the long run.
“The system of education should be such that imbibes in students the necessary vocational and technical skills to be self reliant after graduation, instead of relying on non-existing white collar jobs,’’ he said.
He decried the situation where graduates seek employment in sectors where they lacked requisite skills, saying: “What use will a graduate of History be in the oil sector?
“Why can’t we train students in petroleum technology when the country is blessed with oil?’’
The NBA scribe, however, advocated the reintroduction of religious education in the school curriculum to instil the fear of God in children.
“Since religious education is lacking in our educational system, we may not be able to tackle insecurity in Nigeria because our children don’t have the fear of God,’’ he added.