 Alright, now the Nigerian curriculum or the Nigerian education curriculum is designed to provide students with the foundation they need to be successful in a variety of careers. However, the job market is constantly changing and the skills and knowledge required for many jobs have evolved over time. Whether or not our curriculum can put food on the table of Nigerians today is a complex question with no easy answers as there are many factors that contribute to food insecurity including poverty, inequality, conflict and political instability. However, one way the curriculum can help put food on the table is by providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to be productive members of the economy. This includes teaching students about agriculture, nutrition and food security. It should also include teaching students about entrepreneurship and job skills. In addition to the academic curriculum, there are several other factors that can contribute to employability such as extracurricular activities, internship and work experience. Extracurricular activities can help students to develop skills such as leadership, teamwork and problem solving while internship and work experience can provide students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their field of interest. So today we're referring to Governor Francis Yngwie Firo. Yngwie Firo's comment on education and employment in his interview and we're asking can our curriculum put food on the tables of Nigerians today? Now please let's hear what you have to say. Remember you can join the conversation send us an SMS or WhatsApp to read 1803-4663. So I mean this is a very interesting conversation to have because again I think it was Wednesday last week we had a conversation around what's it called the skill for today, the skill for now, how we're going in all of those skills. And on Tuesday we faced the young people, how it seems like everybody is just the household culture, everybody just wants to make money and they don't care how to make money. So when I hear a governor talk about this, it gives me some level of excitement. It means that he understands that there is a knowledge gap, there's a skill gap, there is a huge gap in the educational system. So I mean if we really want to look at Nigeria today, right, what are the things that would put food on the tables of people? Like literally what would give, what is that job that you can do that you are guaranteed daily job? I mean daily food on your table. I can bet you that those jobs right don't really have a particular curriculum in the universities today or you know even the technical schools that are available they are a bit you know not so up to par. Because you see outside of this country, I was talking to a friend of mine how he said that you know they went to a furniture company in Canada and they wanted to put together their furniture or more. They tried trying to work because they were trying to boycott. By the time the company that sold them the furniture sent their their guys to come and install it and just give you a bill. Outside of this country people respect skills handymen are the most like literally. That's why you see a lot of DIY. They don't do DIY because they just feel like doing DIY. It's because for you to be able to get, yes, labor is expensive. So if we really want to solve the problem of putting food on the tables of Nigerians today while the curriculum was reflected, we must begin to have school of plumbing. Do you understand? School of plumbing. Just go there. Maybe you do your one year or two years. You come out. There's no kind of plumbing issues that you don't have. And that kind of cost is not the one that you come out and they'll be charging you $2,000. Like let us begin to attach some level of what's the word now, respect to those kinds of jobs. Because those are the jobs that will put food on the table. So to your question, can our curriculum put food? If it is the curriculum that we have today, they say no. But let me hear your thoughts. Well, first of all, I have to applaud the government with you because right now the amount of work, I mean being that I was in the East and you know, I've listened to conversations and a lot of people have made, I have accused this governor of like putting his own people, like family members and stuff in power. And so the question is, while people, you mean we can argue about that, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. The question right now is, is he working? A lot of people in Eboni state are happy. The governor is working. Well, Anambra and Enugu and other states are struggling over state. Right now, Eboni state has one of the best roads in the Southeast, right? And the man is he puts his own people. Okay, big deal. But he's working. And the fact that he also came up with this thing, because I come to just like he said, I completely agree with him. Right now is formal education still relevant in Nigeria? No, because it is it. Well, my argument is, it is not if formal is formal education, like carry your bag, go to university, study computer engineering, whichever one it is, carry your bag and come out. Is it still relevant? My answer is no, except we value that formal education, give it the Nigeria of today. If you go abroad, then carry that your degree and come back. That's when there is value to it. Because right now, the real people who are making the money are skilled people. Whether you go to an official programming school, which is for computer people interested in gadgets and tech, or you go to sewing class, which is for designers, or you go to maybe a plumbing class, or maybe a master class on like, you don't even have to know the basics of education, just have the talent, know that I'm passionate about this, and go and follow your talent. These are the people making the money, even as little as how to sell in your local market and make money or how to sell market on Instagram. You know, so these are the educations that we need these days, because how many, do you know how many millions of Nigerians that have gone through school and came out to first class? And at the end of the day, they still, that's my view. And practically speaking, formal education is as good as dead, except to increase our standards and respect for, except to increase our standards and value for formal education. If we don't do that, then it's as good as dead right now. I think formal education is very basic, and it is very necessary. If you look at people who have gone to, I think Polytechnics is the one for skills and everything. And if you look at someone who did formal education, you would always see a difference. So in as much as, yes, in as much as, yes, we need to, what's the word or how do I put it? We need to, like you said, a plumbin school. So you need to, yeah, you need to bridge the skill gap, which is basically transforming what the Igbo people do in the bar markets, apprenticeship and all of that. You just need to make it more refined and defined. So there's a proper level one to this level two to that. But formal education is still very much important, maybe because I went to private school from elementary to university. That's why I can say that. And my university is a Nigerian university, despite it was private owned. I first heard about entrepreneurship from my university. They were very big on that. Public speaking and even skilled, they had a lot of skill. So let me help you, Mary. Because today I saw a report that says your university, Covenant University, and that's where you went. It was one of the best universities right now in Nigeria. So in the scheme of, in the grand scheme of things, Covenant University is a drop in the ocean. Do you understand? The impact, so when we talk about educational curriculum, right, some of those kind of schools just exempt them because they are actually doing well and they are doing the right thing. But the bigger picture for the educational curriculum, right? And the question is how many people can afford Covenant University? I cannot, my parents cannot afford it. But let her finish, let her finish. But then for you to now say that formal education is not, because if you're going to maybe live the country or compete globally, what are you going to show for it? So the question, what's the question again? The question is that can our curriculum put food on our table today? No, it cannot. But I would say that we need to restruct, yeah formal education is to relevant and it would be nice for it to be restructured to a modern day and time. And what are we talking about? We have the internet now which has really helped to bridge a lot of skill gap. So okay, sorry, sorry to cut you. Formal education, I learned mathematics. I don't see the only relevance of mathematics in my life right now is to count money and for angle navigation when I'm driving. Maybe we should try not learning math. All right, we just tuned in to our ladies night out and we're discussing the topic and our curriculum put food on the tables of Nigerians, right, taking a cue from what the governor had said. And please let's hear what you have to say, remember you can join the conversation, send us an SMS over at 1-800-384-663. Our phone line is now open. The number to call is 070-25-007749. That's the number to call. All right, so before we went on a break, I said something should not be talking because the only reason you were sitting on this chair today is because you studied English. If you did not study English in the university, you would not be able to speak English. No, don't go there. Are you kidding me? Before, English was not even in the picture. It was love that was in the picture. I had learned, I had prepared myself to speak English right from Bani and friends, from watching TV. Yeah, so let me now get back to, I want to shade me now. So when Mary said that formal education is very basic and is very necessary and I want to tell you that formal education, it doesn't have to, you don't need to get to university to get a formal education. If we had, no, listen, if what is solid primary school education, it's enough for people. Some people say, okay, you want to now stretch in secondary school. Because even if you check your, I think I'll say secondary school. No, no, I'm telling you primary, why do you see that your politicians, they say it's basic school certificate now, the primary school certificate. That's all they need to be able to go into power. Do you understand what I'm saying? So I get the argument, where society is coming from. But you see, let me come back to the universities that I said, because I found the report, it says Covenant University, University of Ibadu and Federal University of Technology, that's Futa in Akure, have secured top ranking in Nigeria, according to Times Higher Education 2024 rating. Although, now listen, though the Covenant ranked first in Nigeria, it's 801 in the 800 and 1,000 range globally. Do you understand? That's to tell you that, you see, they see a huge, Covenant might be like a shining star in the midst of the whatever that's happening. But you see, if you want to put it where global standards is nowhere near, because why? If you look at the curriculum of education around the world, it has completely changed. It's no longer a thing, and that's why you can see somebody just go and study blockchain, as a course in the university. Somebody can just go and study, you know, so like literally, they've been able to streamline it. If this is the skill that you have, you understand? Let's develop that skill. And I think that's where I think the governor is going towards, you know, and if we truly looked at the problems that we had, I think even at some point, Professor Yemi Oshiba, whilst he was vice president of this country, said the same thing, that at some point they were even trying to give incentives to people that will study certain courses. Do you get what I'm saying? We have a housing deficit in this country. So we need, and I'm very happy that Akure University of Technology made it to the least, because those are the kinds of schools right now that we don't really need. We need technical schools to wake up. But now the problem is that now universities like proper federal government universities or private universities, there is this tendency to always look down on polytechnic. I know, but you see all those things, if the government now sees that... Because it's standard of the polytechnic is not... So imagine if the government decided to take those kinds of, what's it called, bull by the horn and upgrade those kinds of schools, because what we need are technical schools. We have problem of, for instance, poor planning. We have drainage problem in our country. We have gridlock problem. We have bad roads. We have all of those things. Is it because you go and study law that will solve that problem? Do you understand? Or is it because, you know, we need to be able to start churning out as many handy men, technicals, guys, engineers and all of that. I think the idea of putting the interest in people's minds will be the first stage, first of all, because I think such skills are looked down upon because you hardly find successful people in that. Many years ago, when the shopping mall, when they started this chain of shopping malls around Nigeria, I remember the very first mall that was built, the Palms, that was built in Lagos. That was the very first standard shopping mall. I remember the story I heard was they imported the interlocking guys. They were living in a penthouse somewhere and all of that. They imported them and they were putting them hard end forex. But go and look at what they did many years ago. Does it still stand? Do you understand? So it's two things. It's not too good. That's what I'm trying to tell you. It stands because first of all, it's two things. They understand the expertise to be able to get that because they've gone, it's a skill that was acquired in a proper way. Secondly, the job, the pay and all of those things, it was also respected. The pay was respected because again, they were foreigners. If you, you understand, in Nigeria, for instance, say tomorrow you want to become a plumber, they cannot pay you what they are paying somebody on the street. You know why? Before you became a plumber, you would have gone to, because of your pedigree, you would have gone to different kinds of maybe international plumbing schools and all of that. So I think again, if we start to attach some level of importance to the skills that we have, it would attract the pay. You understand? It's not enough for you to say, oh, because I'm Nigerian, they're not paying me. No. If I can command that kind of pay, they would pay me that money. Do you understand? Imagine if I go to Hava to go and learn how to do plumbing. Is it the same money you want to pay? So for me, I'm looking at it. If I was to hire someone right now, I think, okay, let me finish making the first point. If I was to hire people right now, what I would look out for is character. I'll look out for passion and then I'll look out for skill. And I think it's until we start to value these things, that's when we put, that's when we are going to get people. For instance, if someone had studied maybe from Covenant University or from Hava that you come back and you realize that your passion is plumbing, typically people are going to look down on you. Yeah. You know? So why do you have to look down on a person like that? No, but you can't look down on the person. That's what I'm trying to say. You see, because it's... Are you serious? Of course not. No. People will tell you you spent a lot. Do you know how much it is to go to Hava? You go to Hava. You have a difference in your delivery. That's what I'm saying. Not only in your delivery, even your confidence. Let me tell you something. The biggest problem I have with polytechnic students in this country, it is they don't have self-esteem. I've dealt, I've interacted with them. When they are talking, their head is down. Do you understand? There's no that confidence. And again, it goes back to that dichotomy or whatever it is they call it, where you discriminate polytechnic graduates and all of that. But you see those things, it gets to them. So if the government is truly serious about creating curriculum that can put food on the tables of Nigerians, the seriousness to that for meal, when you tell me I'm serious, is you will go back to our technical schools and you go and revamp them. Because if you revamp those technical schools, they will be proud of where they are coming from. You start to have, yes, you start to have, and not only that, then you must set a standard. You understand? Minimum, you graduate from this school, you are graduating as a plumber. This is the minimum entry level you can pay those people. And these things exist. Do you understand? It's just that they exist in trickles. So if we start to standardize these things, the same thing with what's called your vulcanizer, for instance. If you go to a standard tire store, do you pay what you pay those people on the roadside? No. So there is gradual overhauling that is happening in the system. But you see for us to grow quicker and move faster, the government must now take it as priority to say, you know what, first of all, let's focus on all our technical schools. Let's revamp them, let's bring what's called standards in terms of equipments and all of those things to be able to get these people to be at that level. Then when you are employing them, pay them what they are worth. So here is what I'm thinking, right? Because let's not forget this informal education or like Mary, like you mentioned, the apprenticeship system that has been there in Igbo land for a very long time. Like for instance, if an Igbo man who works in the mechanic raises somebody else who works in the mechanic, right? And you end up choosing, oh, you would rather go to a proper mechanic workshop and maybe pay them 200,000 for fixing your coming. Well, you can pay the roadside mechanic who knows what they are doing. You can pay them, let's say, like 55,000 there or there about, do you understand? Why would we choose to look down on that particular roadside mechanic who is excellent in what he does and say that that is not, what do you mean? I said he is excellent in what he does. He is excellent in what he does. So how do we rate that he's not successful? My point is not even about looking down on the roadside. My point is that can we get through the stage when we standardize every roadside mechanic? Do you understand? Yeah. Do you get what I'm saying? Where the government will provide a decent, you know, so like... Which also, it still comes back to maybe delivery is not the right word, but then that would boost their confidence. So imagine that government change their perspective on how to, you know, go about a, you know, service. They would be, they would take it as a job, do you understand? Because okay, they're just doing it like, anyhow, anyhow, that's just what I'm doing. But imagine if, you know, a guy you park to fix your tire, the guy's analyzing to you, oh, madam, this is what is wrong with this. This is what I'll do. You know, just a little, you know, touch to it. Trust me, if that guy... It's a hit or a pocket too. It's a hit or a pocket, but you know that I like paying for a good service. So listen, I like a system. I get your point. Very valid point. However, I like a system of governance or a retail system that gives me options. Right? So if the government makes everything, have a workshop and let us still have our option. No, no, no. No, no. No, no. No, no, no. They are leaving like... No, it's not. I'm not saying like, if one thing they are brought, the mechanic shops, right, they are still standards. There's a car wash up that you guys, you're spending like $150 to wash your car. There's a car wash up, you're spending $30. You understand? So I'm just saying that whatever regulation that if it's in the future for them, they should still remember, like, you know. So let me explain what I mean. So for instance, if we had this very skilled mechanic that is great at his job, right, can we begin to identify those people and raise more skilled people, then we must be ready to pay. Sanzee, we have to be ready to pay. You can't change the narrative. Because again, it is also the way it is approached. So I have a carpenter that I bring in from the north all the time. Before now, just do small, small, small jobs. Now, you know, I am happy to see that he takes on jobs in millions. This was somebody I never dreamt of that he could do anything. But it was also because of the way I first of all recalibrated his brain. Standardized brain. You can now see how far he can go with it. So it is hitting my pocket because I have to pay him the premium price. But guess what? It has changed his approach to work. So let me tell you something. If we truly want to standardize things, right, and stop all of these things that we're seeing, where we're finding people going into robbery and all of that, let us even say even basic skills. You know, and that's where you will not start seeing that people will stop cutting corners. Let me take our collar for the day, girl. Sorry. Not that soft, man. Good evening, you know. Are you there? Hell, is it there? Sorry, yo. Go ahead, Sanzee. Yeah, so I mean, I get your point on standardization. However, okay, I'll give you an example of the step-out market in the East, right? Hello, are you there? Yes, I'm here. Oh, yeah, go ahead, take it, yo. Yes, you see, this your discussion today is quite confusing. However, I just want to put something in. You see, I still believe that in whatever we do in this country, especially Nigeria, we should not look at how it's been done abroad because most of our things come with kind of tradition and the way we've been brought up and how it works for us. I mean, I don't know when to do what to do and how to do at a certain time. If you, or any time you're going to the market, I don't know the market that you go to, you get the chip. I don't know the market that you go to, you get the cost there, but the services will be better. That means you get the cheaper. Maybe you need to hook up the gutter to assess it and maybe it will not be as neat as the other place. However, you still have a choice to choose wherever you want to shop and where you want to shop. So it is with every other thing you want to do, even if an organizer would want to go get the cheaper cost there. But the major thing I want to stress on is that creating a level environment for any age of business in this country is very, very important. So whether you're from the polytechnic or whatever, you come out, you want to do something, and those people are, like you said, they are being looked down on so much that they don't even want to see that those people are the only people that when they're coming up from school, they have a kind of hope that they can accept employment immediately. They go straight to what they learned, what they learned in school and start making money from it. But you know, if this is our country, if we don't carry out the Google, Google, Google all in your books, nobody will see you as dedicated. But for me, I believe that if they can create a level environment and make sure that it's well-matched, that nobody will be seen as a graduate, graduate and graduate, whether for the polytechnic or university, it boosts confidence. Therefore, we, that are the people that have patronized them, we already know where to go to get the cheaper. So we make our choice that we choose whenever we want to choose. After that all, I need to thank you. I want you to go out and get this book, Scale at Speed. That book helps a lot, a lot, because yesterday, I don't even know if I've read it before. What's the name of the book? Scale at Speed. You'll see some of this topic coming in that book. Thank you very much. Thank you young guys, old man, who will look for your book. I don't think I've seen that book. The truth is, what he said, all right, what he said makes a lot of sense because there is like different kinds of intelligence. There is emotional intelligence and really in any service you're rendering, the basics you'd need is intelligence, how to deal with people. You know, there is that, how to deal with people is, is, is basic. And then there is now the intelligence of whatever field that your God has given you, talent, whether it's musical intelligence or natural intelligence or technical intelligence. How would you, would you, would you say that the, like, I'm just saying that the curriculum, the thing about go to school, spend four years in school and go to strike and work out. I don't think it's relevant anymore. What I'm saying is, instead of that, create or rather give priority or, or something to the polytechnic. So it doesn't even have to be polytechnic. Maybe to work. Yeah, I'm just making my point. The point I'm trying to help Sans is to understand. And young guys, old man, I know that we are used to cheap, cheap things in this life. I can bet you for free. It took a long time to stop. I really enjoyed the fact that I can go out, but you see the truth is that I'm not one of those people that like the headache of pricing. I'm much less and much less. I don't have that time. When I beg you, how much is the discount you're going to give me? If you don't understand me, I beg you. But I'm saying that if we really want to change and upgrade the lives of a lot of people in Nigeria, we must standardize things. And standardizing things come at a cost. So let me explain. Now, let me explain. Okay. If your government tomorrow decides to say they want to standardize plumbing, for instance, as a profession, it means that they would, they would, I mean, what's called set up at a standardized Institute of Plumbing. Do you understand? That people go there. So anybody that graduates from that place, first of all, there is a value chain. They are building houses everywhere. Wait, would you not rather have a professional pay that premium, that won't be solving the cage problem one day? If you don't understand what I'm saying, no, here is my point. That standardization has to do with territory. If you standardize it and say, okay, ne, ne, ne, ne, ne, the average plumber... Right? So if, if, if a plumber in Lagos ends about, let's say, 500,000 a month, based on this is the plumbing office and whatnot, right in the East, you know, People are not making up to that amount So the standardization for me is that it has to be territorial Okay, territorial Agnoufi Agnoufi, get ahead My head is hurting me But I think this was a good conversation We will try to bring it back I will try to bring it back Even the youngest of us will say we are confused Alright, so thank you so much Sanji, thank you Mary Before we go, I assure you follow us across all our social media handles And wish you Africa you can interact with us for the drop your comment and more important people who are engaged in social media Like share and invite your families and friends to watch and follow the conversation Oh my goodness, our educational curriculum in Nigeria lacked relevance due to shortage of specialized teachers on conducive learning environment for infrastructure facilities and lack of funds in Nigerian certificates and are more appreciated than the capability Oh God, sorry Good evening ladies, one of the men that did the interlocking stones at the palm shopping mall resided at the 1004 penthouse Fundamentally, it was the polytechnic training he had Okay, we will see you guys tomorrow What did we, our course for today? I am sure you will go and find it It's from the governor of the Boeing State Which makes a lot of sense