Experts Urge Nigerian Youths To Move From Certificates To Capabilities
Experts have urged Nigerian youths to shift their focus from certificates to capabilities, stressing the importance of solving real‑world problems in order to remain relevant in the emerging economy.
They made this call at the second edition of Edike Foundation’s Gown to Town, a workplace readiness event for the next generation of value creators, held at the University of Lagos.
The programme, organised under the theme “Beyond the Certificate: Mastering Value Creation,” brought together stakeholders to discuss how graduates can bridge the gap between academic learning and workplace realities.
Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Mrs Feyisayo Alayande, explained that Nigeria’s future will not be determined by the number of graduates produced by higher institutions, but by the value those graduates are able to create.
She emphasised that transitioning from university to the workplace should be seen as the beginning of a journey towards creating value, rather than the end of education.
Alayande posed a fundamental question to graduates: “What happens after the gown, after the certificate, after the graduation?” She noted that while academic qualifications remain important, they should serve as a foundation for developing practical capabilities. “Your certificate matters. Education matters. Knowledge matters. Professional qualifications matter. But a certificate is not the destination; it is the beginning,” she said.
She further explained that the conversation must move “from certificate to capability, from capability to value, from value to jobs and enterprise, and from jobs and enterprise to nation‑building.”
Alayande also called for a change in the way Nigerian youths are perceived, arguing that they should not be defined solely by unemployment, underemployment or migration. Instead, she described them as Nigeria’s greatest productive opportunity.
Defining the concept of a “Value Economy,” she said it is one where people are rewarded for the problems they solve, the outcomes they produce and the value they create, rather than merely the qualifications they possess. “In a value economy, a graduate who can solve a real business problem has value; a technician who can repair sophisticated equipment has value; a farmer who can increase productivity has value,” she added.
Leadership strategist, Edememe Oladiji‑Wusu told participants that their value determines how far they go. “Your certificate is just the beginning. Your degree gives you the foundation. But the real world asks you three questions regardless of your route — whether as an entrepreneur, employee or hybrid. Can you create value? Can you communicate value? Can you sustain value? So your value determines how far you will go,” she said.
She added that the world does not pay for what one knows, but for the value created with that knowledge including the problems solved, the outcomes achieved, and the people and processes improved.
Oladiji‑Wusu encouraged participants to build skills, stressing that capability increases market value. “As you leave here, don’t ask yourself what job you can do. Ask yourself what value you can create and what kind of life that value can help you build. So start now, go into the world as a value maker,” she advised.
Executive Director of Edike Foundation, Oluwatimilehin Akinola, explained the reason behind the Gown to Town event.
He said the initiative was designed to address lapses in the labour market, not only by discussing entrepreneurship but also by highlighting the importance of being an employee. He noted that entrepreneurship does not mean one has arrived, as the journey is incomplete until a business can create employment for others.
Speaking on what employers look for in employees, Akinola stressed diligence, which he described as encompassing timeliness, commitment and good character.
“Once I get a diligent staff, it’s alright,” he said. He also urged participants to find purpose in life, explaining that his own vision came after discovering his purpose eight years ago. “So, my advice to the young ones is find your purpose first. As time passes, if you deal diligently in whatever you are doing, you will find your purpose. And if you find your purpose, it’s easy. Your purpose has to have continuity that even when you die, people can pick it up,” he concluded.
