Varsities should produce job creators, not job seekers – Airline CEO

United Nigeria Airlines CEO Prof Obiora Okonkwo has called on Nigerian universities to prioritize entrepreneurship education over traditional academic pursuits. Speaking at Veritas University's 15th convocation ceremony in Abuja, Okonkwo argued that graduates should be equipped with job-creating skills rather than relying solely on paid employment.

He advocated for integrating entrepreneurship into all academic departments, including medicine, law, engineering, and sciences, to foster self-reliance and national development. Okonkwo emphasized that entrepreneurship should be treated as a core subject for all students, regardless of their course of study. He stressed that quality education should be measured by the knowledge, skills, moral values, and sense of responsibility acquired by graduates, rather than just the number of graduates produced.

Okonkwo, who established his business while still a student, shared his own experience as evidence of the effectiveness of entrepreneurial training. He also highlighted the importance of strengthening collaboration between universities and industries through internship programs, noting that his airline had signed MOUs with two universities to train mechanical engineering students in its aviation maintenance unit.

The initiative has reportedly resulted in impressive academic outcomes, with participating students graduating with at least second-class upper degrees.