{
  "id": 9922302,
  "title": "Graduates trade certificates for spanners, grease pits",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/graduates-trade-certificates-for-spanners-grease-pits",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-26T05:10:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Trust",
    "slug": "daily-trust",
    "url": "https://dailytrust.com/graduates-trade-certificates-for-spanners-grease-pits/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a surprising shift in Maiduguri, graduates from the University of Maiduguri are trading their academic certificates for hands-on work in auto mechanics. The traditional belief that a university degree guarantees a secure office job does not hold true in this Nigerian city. Our correspondent found many young engineering and computer science graduates abandoning lucrative office jobs for the challenging world of auto repair. One such graduate is Musa Bala, a Computer Science honours graduate. Despite graduating with impressive grades, he could not secure a white-collar job. Rather than join the unemployed, Bala chose a more unconventional path. He joined a local mechanic workshop, enrolling as an apprentice under a veteran mechanic with no formal education. Remarkably, Bala's analytical skills and computer training have helped him bring a modern approach to the trade. He now leads the workshop, using advanced computer-aided methods to diagnose vehicle problems quickly and precisely. His success has attracted new customers, significantly boosting the workshop's revenue. Bala earns about N15,000 daily, totaling over N450,000 monthly. He has no regrets about leaving his white-collar job prospects behind, stating that his daily earnings far exceed those of many government positions. Other graduates, like Abdulwasiu Jimoh, a Electrical and Electronics Engineer with a master's degree in Disaster Management, have also chosen a similar path. Despite earning more through his auto mechanic job, Jimoh emphasizes that practical skills are more valuable than a degree, especially for family-oriented individuals like himself. Both Bala and Jimoh inspire a growing number of graduates in Maiduguri to pursue vocational trades, challenging the conventional wisdom that a university degree is the only path to success.",
  "summary": "In a region where a university degree is traditionally seen as the golden ticket to a secure office job, a quiet revolution is brewing on the dusty streets of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. Young graduates of engineering and computer science from the University of Maiduguri are now trading their certificates for spanners, turning […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}