The distinguished mass communication expert told The Guardian in an exclusive interview that, despite what some people may believe, Nigerian graduates are successful post-graduate students abroad.
Prof. Ufuophu-Biri characterized the trend of Nigerians calling their graduates half-baked as "bad Public Relations technique" while urged them to favorably promote our graduates as obtained in other areas of the globe.
He stated that Nigerian graduates are not half-baked, as some have falsely claimed, and that the fact that they perform well academically both inside and outside of the nation in their many subjects is proof positive of this.
As I have always stated, nothing compares to the half-bakedness of Nigerian grads. I have traveled to several different nations. On many continents, I have communicated with Nigerian graduates. Additionally, I've spoken with their teachers. When Nigerian graduates pursue post-graduate studies outside of their home country, they excel in academic institutions.
Then, people who are employed abroad are highly skilled in a variety of fields. Those who find employment in Nigeria are equally successful. Therefore, the idea that Nigerian graduates are undereducated is false. Many of our graduates are enrolled in Post-Graduate studies at many universities in the UK and Canada, and they are performing well.
We recently released one of our employees to the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom. He informed me over the phone that he had placed first and received an award at the orientation. All of them are doing fantastically.
"I am not aware of any nation that would claim its own graduates are less worthy. Our grads perform well. Many of us have degrees from this nation. I graduated from this nation. I have received numerous honors from all around the world," the Mass Communication and Journalism Professor declared.
The expert emphasized that undergraduates are not to responsible for the absence of tools in Nigerian higher education institutions, attributing it to the "environment." He said, "The Nigerian graduate has the intelligence; perhaps he lacks the tools." Instructional tools might not be available during a lesson. Furthermore, it is not his fault. For example, a Nigerian graduate studying mechanical engineering will comprehend everything, but the workshop might not be as well-equipped as what is found in a UK university. That does not imply that he is a dupe. He said, "The environment is to blame, not me.
According to the learned scholar, the out-of-date curricula in higher institutions are reviewed every five years to reflect contemporary conditions.
To support his claims, he pointed to the recent separation of the Mass Communication and Computer Science departments into separate faculties at polytechnics and our universities' colleges of education.