The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona on Monday in Sagamu, Ogun State, bemoaned the unproductive nature of the nation’s education system.
Adetona, wongho is also the paramount ruler of Ijebuland, said it was regrettable that Nigeria’s system of education and policies were not geared towards engendering development for the country.The monarch stated this while speaking at the kick-off of the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme for the Batch “B” corps members at the National Youth Service Corps Permanent Orientation camp in Sagamu.
The Awujale, who led over 30 other traditional rulers from across communities in Ijebuland to the event, stressed that a system of education tailored towards making the products self-employed and self-reliant was the only means through which the nation could develop.
He therefore enjoined the corps members to take the vocational training to be offered them under the NYSC SAED programmes seriously to enable them reap the rewards by the time they become self-employed and employers of labour.
Oba Adetona said, “It’s unfortunate that our education system has not been geared towards our development. All we are doing is producing towards white collar jobs but how much of it is available. Therefore, I’ve always put it to our people that our education must be structured towards our development. Today, we don’t have competent people. For example, we have very few people who can do electrical wiring and other such things.
“All we are doing is training people for white collar jobs. Therefore, I don’t want you think or accept that having got your degree, that’s the end. I’ll ask you to strive to be self-employed. If you are self-employed, you’ll make fortune and be better off. With your education you can perform wonders. I want you to be very serious with your vocational training.”
Earlier, the Ogun State Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs. Theresa Anosike said that the SAED programme was designed to train corps members in specific skills in order to make them self-employed and become entrepreneurs.
