Former presidential adviser and elder statesman, Senator Ben Obi, has called for greater emphasis on practical skills acquisition as part of efforts to tackle youth unemployment and associated social vices in the country.
Obi, who spoke at the graduation ceremony of Springfield Fashion Academy (SFA) in Abuja, said academic certificates alone could no longer guarantee economic survival in the face of rising unemployment.
He described practical skills and technical competence, popularly referred to as ‘sabificate’, as important tools for empowering young Nigerians to become self-reliant and create wealth.
‘We must not only rely on certificates to survive. We must equally rely on our skills to be able to put food on the table,’ he said.
The former lawmaker praised the creativity and confidence displayed by the graduating fashion designers, saying vocational training could help shift young Nigerians from dependence on formal employment to entrepreneurship and wealth creation.
He urged the Federal Government, corporate organisations and development partners to establish funding mechanisms for credible private vocational training institutions.
According to him, supporting successful vocational institutes would enable them to expand and establish training centres across the 36 states, thereby widening access to skills acquisition.
Obi also advised young Nigerians to enrol in structured skills acquisition programmes rather than wait indefinitely for white-collar jobs.
He said institutions such as Springfield Fashion Academy could make greater impact if adequately supported to establish branches across the country.
The Creative Director of Springfield Fashion Academy, Blessing Ugwuodo, similarly urged unemployed youths and graduates to acquire practical skills instead of relying entirely on academic qualifications.
Ugwuodo said many graduates had remained unemployed for years because of their dependence on white-collar jobs, despite the opportunities available in vocational and creative industries.
She noted that practical skills could provide a more immediate route to self-employment and economic independence.
‘I am educated and I am a graduate, but skill is actually higher and more powerful than certificates,’ she said.
Ugwuodo urged young Nigerians to use the period spent searching for formal employment to develop skills and create products and services that could meet market demand.
She said Nigeria’s large population presented significant opportunities for local producers and entrepreneurs, adding that fashion was only one of several areas where young people could acquire marketable skills.
The fashion academy boss, however, expressed concern over the financial pressures confronting small and medium-scale enterprises in the Federal Capital Territory.
She particularly criticised the increase in levies imposed by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), saying excessive charges could undermine the survival of small businesses.
According to her, rather than impose additional financial burdens on emerging enterprises, government should create an enabling environment for them to grow.
Ugwuodo also called for a review of government empowerment programmes, urging public institutions to channel resources to organisations with verifiable records of grassroots impact.
She said government should move beyond publicity-driven empowerment initiatives and support institutions already providing sustainable skills and livelihoods to vulnerable Nigerians.
She noted that Springfield Fashion Academy had trained people from diverse backgrounds, including educated and uneducated youths, persons with disabilities and widows.
Ugwuodo added that the academy had also trained individuals without formal education, stressing that lack of schooling should not constitute a barrier to acquiring skills and becoming self-reliant.
She called for stronger collaboration between government and credible vocational institutions to take skills acquisition programmes to the grassroots.