By Ladan Zinga Aku
In Nigeria today, academic certificates are treated like golden tickets. Parents brag about them, universities glorify them, and employers demand them.
But when you step outside the graduation hall and the truth hits hard: jobs are scarce, and certificates alone can’t pay the bills.
This obsession with certificates over skills has created a dangerous gap. We are raising a generation that looks brilliant on paper but struggles to survive in practice.
Take Sadiq, a recent graduate. His survival in school had little to do with his GPA, it was about his side hustle. While juggling classes, he worked as a shoe cobbler.
“My skill fetched me little money while I was in school,” he said. “I didn’t need to call home frequently. ” That small trade gave him independence and dignity.
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For many students, that’s the difference between just enduring school and actually thriving in it.
Another example is Sheriff Mohammed, an architecture student at Bayero University, Kano. While working on his degree, he also trained as a web developer.
“Alongside my architectural certificate, I am leaving BUK as a web developer,” he said proudly. “In this digital age, I believe I won’t need to be employed before I start life outside school.”
Alhaji Hussaini Danzaria, a prominent clothes dealer in Abubakar Gumi central market Kaduna, has this to say “during my undergraduate days in Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, I will go to Mallam Habu Tella and collect clothes to sell to my fellow students”.
He did that to raise capital and start buying the clothes and selling for profit. “It is that business that has grown to what you see today, Alhamdullilah. Now i have a certificate, a hobby and my business.”
With courses like Entrepreneurship Education Program (EEP) introduced into the university curriculum, it is expected that students are equipped with the knowledge to maneuver the economy and make informed business decisions.
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This knowledge, in my opinion, is not enough to start a business, capital is also an important element. Certificate is good, a certificate plus a skill even better.
If Nigeria wants to address unemployment, then skills acquisition cannot remain an afterthought. It should be part of the education system itself.
Every student should graduate with not just a degree, but at least one practical skill. That way, young people won’t be sitting around waiting for jobs that may never come.
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Instead, they’ll be creating opportunities for themselves and for others. Let’s face it: life after school is tough. The job market is tight, competition is fierce, and employers are picky.
But one thing is certain those who graduate with a skill in hand, whether in digital technology, fashion, crafts, or entrepreneurship, always have the upper hand.
Certificates may open doors, but skills keep them open. In today’s Nigeria, skills are no longer optional. They are the real currency of survival.