Nigerian universities not doing enough to solve national problems —Ex-VC Abbas

A former Vice-Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Professor Sagir Abbas, has criticised Nigerian universities for failing to translate investments in higher education into practical solutions to the country’s development challenges.

Abbas, who chaired the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities from 2024 to 2025, said there was a disconnect between university curricula and national economic priorities, teaching methods and practical problem-solving, as well as research and industry needs.

He stated this in a keynote address titled: “From Degrees to Development: Are Nigerian Universities Producing the Human Capital Nigeria Needs?” at the 2026 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) National Board of Trustees Town Hall Meeting, in Abuja.

The former vice-chancellor argued that despite substantial government investment in staff development, scholarships, research and laboratory infrastructure, the country was yet to fully harness the potential of its universities to address critical national challenges.

Providing an overview of TETFund’s interventions, Abbas said the agency had supported staff development, academic scholarships and research across tertiary institutions, with billions of naira committed to strengthening the capacity of the higher education sector.

He highlighted investments in specialised laboratories and other facilities in tertiary institutions, noting that significant resources had been committed to improving teaching, learning and research.

However, he questioned why the country continued to face human capital and development challenges, despite these investments.

“We are expanding education. We are putting money into education, but we still have issues to deal with. If so much has gone into education, why are we getting it wrong?” he asked.

Identifying what he described as the first major area of disconnect, Abbas said university curricula were not sufficiently aligned with the country’s economic needs and development priorities.

According to him, higher education institutions should develop programmes and curricula that respond to government priorities and the skills required by employers and key sectors of the economy.

He argued that universities in countries with stronger education-to-employment linkages often align their academic programmes with national development plans, enabling graduates to secure jobs and contribute meaningfully to economic growth.

He urged TETFund to consider directing more of its interventions towards programmes and research areas that address national priorities and emerging skills requirements.

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Such alignment, he said, would help address the persistent gap between university education and the human capital needs of the economy, adding that teaching must focus on problem-solving

Abbas also faulted prevailing teaching and assessment practices in Nigerian universities, saying greater emphasis should be placed on developing students’ capacity to solve real-life problems rather than merely reproduce information acquired in classrooms.

Drawing on his nearly three decades of teaching experience in the university system, he said assignments, research projects and dissertations should be designed to address practical challenges confronting communities, industries and the country.

He expressed concern over the duplication of existing research, arguing that many academic projects repeated work already undertaken instead of generating fresh ideas, innovations and solutions.

The former vice-chancellor called for a shift towards assessments that test students’ ability to apply knowledge to specific problems.

He said examinations and other forms of assessment should go beyond measuring students’ ability to recall what they had learnt to determine whether they could use that knowledge to solve practical challenges.

Abbas identified the weak relationship between universities and industry as another major obstacle to the country’s development, saying the skills possessed by many Nigerian graduates did not adequately meet employers’ expectations.

He called for stronger partnerships between tertiary institutions and the private sector to ensure that academic programmes, research and training reflected industry requirements.

To illustrate the benefits of such collaboration, he cited an example from Malaysia, where concerns over accidents involving cranes used in construction reportedly prompted the government to seek solutions from universities.

According to him, the universities investigated the problem and discovered that some crane operators lacked the necessary technical knowledge to operate increasingly computerised equipment safely.

He said the institutions subsequently developed training and certification programmes to improve operators’ competence, while the certification requirement became part of the country’s response to the problem.

Abbas said the intervention demonstrated how universities could use their expertise to address industry challenges and contribute to public safety.

He urged Nigerian universities to adopt a similar approach by working directly with industries to identify skills gaps, develop relevant training programmes and conduct research that responds to practical needs.

He added that stronger collaboration would create opportunities for universities to attract industry-funded research grants and translate academic knowledge into innovations with economic value.

The former vice-chancellor further stressed the need to make research more purposeful and responsive to Nigeria’s development priorities.

He said the country had qualified researchers and institutions capable of addressing many of its challenges but needed to strengthen the connection between research funding, national priorities and the practical application of research findings.

According to him, research outcomes should not remain confined to academic publications but should be translated into policies, technologies, products and services that improve people’s lives.

He urged TETFund to use its funding capacity to encourage universities to pursue research that delivers measurable benefits to the economy and society.

Abbas maintained that the objective of higher education should extend beyond producing graduates with academic qualifications to developing the knowledge, technical competence and problem-solving abilities required to drive national development.

He said stronger alignment between curricula, teaching, research and industry needs would help Nigerian universities produce the human capital required to support economic growth and tackle the country’s pressing challenges.