By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Nigeria’s future economic growth is under threat from a worsening collapse of its skilled workforce, despite the country’s vast youth population, Vanguard has learned.

Skills development specialist and founder, Career Quest Foundation CQF, Mr Olufemi Odebode, told journalists in Abuja on Thursday that Nigeria has been caught in a paradox of rising unemployment and industries struggling to find qualified professionals, a situation he warned was already undermining national productivity.

“Our analysis shows that more than 80 percent of job seekers lack the technical and emotional skills required in today’s workplace,” Odebode said.

He said this gap is fuelling the brain drain, “with many of our best professionals leaving the country for better opportunities abroad, weakening Nigeria’s already fragile talent base.”

Odebode attributed the crisis not only to poor alignment between education and industry needs but also to weak accountability structures and a culture that rewards shortcuts over professionalism. These, he argued, have pushed many Nigerians to prefer informal survival strategies over structured careers.

According to CQF, the failure of the educational system to produce industry-ready graduates has left companies increasingly reliant on foreign expertise — a development Odebode described as capital flight that drains resources and deprives local talent of opportunities.

The foundation is therefore pushing a two-level response. At the policy level, it is advocating urgent reforms in education and stronger accountability within the legal system. At the grassroots, it is championing vocational and technical training aligned with market demands, alongside welfare measures such as fair wages and health insurance to restore dignity to skilled work.

“Nigeria’s future depends on valuing skilled labour today. We must act now to rebuild our workforce capacity and break the cycle of talent loss”, Odebode stated.

The CQF called on government agencies, private companies, and development partners to partner in its planned training, apprenticeship, and employability programmes.

“Supporting organizations like the Career Quest Foundation is not just corporate responsibility. It is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s prosperity.”