Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker of the House of Representatives, has reiterated his appeal for tertiary education to be given a new role in Nigeria.
The Speaker declared that the situation was alarming and called for immediate action.
At the National Summit on Tertiary Education Reform, which his office arranged, Gbaja spoke on Tuesday in Abuja.
The Lagos politician claimed that people rather than oil or mineral deposits were Nigeria’s greatest resource.
He emphasized that in order to succeed, all levels of government must make investments in the people.
Gbajabiamila recalled how many foreigners travelled to the country to study in different universities.
Some Nigeria’s tertiary institutions, he noted, used to be on the same level with the best institutions in the world.
“There was a time when our brothers and sisters from across Africa and even farther away sought out our institutions. That time is no more.
“It used to be that a student admitted to the university knew the date of their graduation and graduated on that day.
“We must improve our education infrastructure and provide the right training for young people from primary through tertiary education,” he added.