Managing Tertiary Education for Economic Security: The Need to Revisit Graduate Unemployment in Nigeria

Tertiary education plays a key role in the development of any nation. It is a formidable tool for achieving economic buoyancy, social reconstruction, cultural integration and political stability. Ironically, there is a large turnout of graduates from Nigerian tertiary educational institutions yearly, who join the astronomical number of unemployed youths in the labour market. These frustrated unemployed youths take solace in all forms of crimes and social vices such as political thuggery, prostitution, cultism, drug abuse, hostage taking, kidnapping for rituals or ransom, bunkering, willful vandalization of pipelines and all forms of internet fraud. If Nigeria is to forge ahead economically, politically and socially, prominent attention must be given to the problem of graduate unemployment pervading the nation. The tertiary education must be taken out of its present morass. It must be properly managed and made more relevant and functional to nurture and empower the undergraduates with the production abilities, skills and habits that will enhance dignity of labour, desire for wealth creation and self- reliance, by integrating entrepreneurship education into the curriculum of the tertiary education institutions in Nigeria.

Keywords – Tertiary Education, Economic Security, Graduate Unemployment.