FG challenges graduates to turn Nigeria’s problems into opportunities

The Federal Government (FG) has urged Nigerian graduates to turn the country’s development challenges into business opportunities through innovation, entrepreneurship and practical problem-solving.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said a university degree alone could no longer guarantee employment or professional success, urging graduates to acquire relevant skills, create economic value and develop solutions that improve lives.

Salako gave the charge on Tuesday while delivering the keynote address at the eighth convocation of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The ceremony had the theme, “Next-Gen Minds. Next-Level Impact,” while his lecture was titled, “Beyond the Degree: Next-Generation Leadership, Innovation and Impact in a Changing World.”

He said Nigeria’s youthful population offered significant economic opportunities, provided young people acquired relevant skills and contributed productively to the economy.

According to him, the value of a degree should be measured not only by the qualification earned but also by a graduate’s ability to solve problems, lead others and create positive change.

“A certificate has limitations. It certifies what you have done, your journey through this citadel of learning, and not what the future holds.

“The success in the world out there today is not necessarily based on what you learned, but more on what you can now do, whom you can now lead, what problem you can now solve, and who is better off because you showed up,” he said.

The minister identified three shifts graduates needed to make to succeed in a changing world: moving from credentials to capabilities, from job-seeking to value creation, and from local operations to global competitiveness.

He also urged them to embrace lifelong learning as technological advances, particularly artificial intelligence, continue to reshape workplaces and professional requirements.

“Where tools, including artificial intelligence, change faster than curricula, the most valuable thing a university gives you is the discipline of learning how to learn,” Salako said.

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He encouraged graduates to look beyond conventional employment and develop innovative solutions to challenges in healthcare, agriculture, financial technology, education, power and logistics. He added that opportunities existed in private businesses and institutions such as hospitals, government ministries, banks and schools.

“The question to ask in every workplace you enter is not ‘What is my job description?’ but ‘What problem here is worth solving, and who will be better off when I solve it?’” he said.

To illustrate his point, Salako cited Moniepoint founder Tosin Eniolorunda, a mechanical engineering graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who used his technical background and industry experience to build a financial technology business.

He also referenced Dr Julius Oni, an orthopaedic surgeon who returned to Nigeria after about 25 years of medical practice in the United States to establish a specialised orthopaedic and joint replacement centre.

Salako said Oni’s decision showed how professionals could apply expertise gained abroad to address local challenges, strengthen healthcare and train future specialists.

Other examples included paediatric surgeon Prof. Oluyinka Olutoye and fashion designer Yemisi, popularly known as Oreke Shapely, a political science graduate of the University of Ilorin who built a fashion business in Abeokuta.

The minister said their experiences demonstrated that graduates could succeed outside conventional career paths by identifying unmet needs and developing practical solutions.

He identified information and communications technology, fintech, agriculture, manufacturing, telecommunications and the creative economy as sectors with growth potential for young Nigerians.

According to him, Nigeria’s information and communications sector contributed 10.07 per cent of real gross domestic product in 2025, up from 9.79 per cent in 2024.

He said the expanding digital economy and creative industries offered opportunities to build businesses serving domestic and international markets.

Salako also highlighted government programmes aimed at improving access to education, digital skills and employment. These include the Nigeria Startup Act, Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme, Health Fellows Programme, Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme, and Three Million Technical Talent Programme.

He said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund had disbursed N372.62 billion to students in 319 institutions as of the end of September 2026, while the 3MTT programme aimed to train three million Nigerians in digital skills by 2027.

However, he acknowledged that access to funding remained a major challenge for start-ups, with investment concentrated among a relatively small number of businesses.

He advised aspiring entrepreneurs to develop commercially viable products and services, control costs and establish credible track records to attract investment and sustain their ventures.

Salako cautioned that completing a training programme did not automatically guarantee employment, stressing that graduates needed to demonstrate the competence and practical experience employers required.

“Government can lay the road, but the journey is yours,” he said.

On healthcare, the minister identified primary healthcare, health insurance, digital health, emergency medical services, supply chain management and self-care as areas offering opportunities for innovation.

He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had launched the Nigeria Diaspora Health Programme in collaboration with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and diaspora professional bodies. The initiative seeks to encourage Nigerian health professionals abroad to contribute to local healthcare through clinical services, teaching and mentorship.

According to him, the programme would help Nigeria move from brain drain to brain circulation by enabling the country to benefit from the expertise of professionals working overseas.

He encouraged young nurses, pharmacists, biomedical engineers and health-informatics specialists to explore entrepreneurial and technological solutions to improve healthcare delivery.

Salako outlined five principles for graduates seeking success: continuous learning, problem-solving and ownership, integrity, global competitiveness, and helping others succeed.

He urged them to acquire new skills regularly, identify problems people were willing to pay to solve, and build wealth through business ownership, intellectual property and specialised expertise.

He also stressed that integrity and professional reputation were essential to long-term success, particularly in an economy where investors and employers demanded evidence of competence and reliability.

Graduates who travelled abroad, he added, should maintain links with Nigeria through knowledge transfer, mentorship, partnerships and investment.

“Measure success not by the title on your door but by how many people you let through it,” he said.

The minister further advised graduates to protect their physical and mental health, describing personal well-being as essential to sustained professional success.

He urged them to view their degrees as the beginning, rather than the end, of their education and professional journeys, noting that Nigeria’s development would depend partly on young people’s ability to turn knowledge into practical solutions.

“Treat the degree as the beginning of the work, not the reward for it. The road ahead is not smooth, but it is open and unfinished, and unfinished roads are built by those who choose to walk them,” he said.

Salako expressed optimism that graduates could contribute to national development through entrepreneurship, innovation, professional achievements, and public service, regardless of where they chose to work or live.