The high rate of graduate unemployment in the nation has drawn alarm from Benue Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
According to him, the country’s high unemployment rate is still largely due to a lack of education and skill development in business.
Alia gave a speech on Thursday in Abuja to Sonny Echono, the executive secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), on what he called a tour of solidarity.
As he sought partnership with the fund to improve the quality of tertiary education delivery, the governor said that his administration will give education in Benue top priority.
He praised the management of the TETFund for the significant engagement in public tertiary institutions across the state and the country.
He claims that “what I discovered as responsible for the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria is that many young people in the country have obtained degrees, but the skills are not attached to those degrees.”
He claimed that this was to blame for both graduates and individuals without a formal education roaming the streets.
In order to revitalize education in the state, Alia promised that his administration will return to the negotiating table. He said that Benue’s higher institutions were once renowned for their excellence and scholarship.
“My brother, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, and I are here to show our support.
“I am honored to be here after understanding how much he has contributed to advancing education across the country, enhancing the infrastructure for teaching and learning, and ensuring that the educational wheel of the country is in good working order.
“Benue is also a recipient of your projects, and the decent citizens of the state have shown their gratitude to your business.
As a governor who has only been in office for eight days, he stated, “I am looking forward to partnering with your establishment in the collaborative efforts to move education in our country forward.”