Nigerian graduates can compete globally, says UNILAG VC

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahamon Bello, says Nigeria’s education sector has not done badly in its quest to provide sound and qualitative education for the people.

Addressing a news conference on Tuesday in Lagos Bello said the country’s graduates remained a force to be reckoned with in any part of the world in spite of the various challenges facing the sector.

According to him, an average Nigerian graduate can compete favourably with his or her counterpart in other countries going by the kind of training the system offers students.

“I will like to start by saying that the education sector has not fared badly in the outgoing year, but that is not to say we are already there.

“The only area of challenge in our system here can be in the area of the application of technology, but even with that, they seem to catch up in the shortest possible time.

“We must increase our efforts in funding the sector and improve on research and development, as well as technological development to rank among the best in the world,” he said.

The vice-chancellor said it was in that light the institution intensified research efforts, adding that its research and innovation office had become operational.

He said the office was designed to assist in furthering multidisciplinary research, grant acquisitions, marketing and dissemination of research results.

Bello further said that when fully developed, the office would also serve as the main funding platform for researchers and the university through commercialisation of research findings.

He said technology advancement had thrown a big challenge to Nigerian universities, noting that for academic institutions to be relevant in the world today, they should be compliant with the culture of ICT.

The vice-chancellor also said that the institution, which was founded in 1962, had produced over 50,000 graduates.