Minister urges graduates to prioritise skills over academic certificates

A cross-section of the graduates during their convocation ceremony at Chrisland University, Abeokuta on Tuesday.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, has urged graduates to prioritise skills acquisition, global competitiveness and integrity over reliance on academic certificates to succeed in an increasingly competitive world.

Salako made the call on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, while delivering a lecture at Chrisland University’s 8th convocation ceremony with the theme, “Beyond the Degree: Next Generation Leadership, Innovation and Impact in a Changing World” at the university’s convocation ceremony.

Salako, who was the convocation’s guest lecturer, cautioned the graduands that obtaining a degree is only the beginning, as he stressed that academic qualifications alone would not necessarily determine their success in the competitive world.

According to him, graduates must continually improve their skills, develop meaningful global connections and focus on solving problems rather than merely seeking employment.

Speaking with journalists at the event, Salako said, “I have admonished the graduates that the certificate is just the beginning, that the certificate may not necessarily determine how far you will go in the world out there.

“So the graduating students need to move beyond their certificate to improve their capacity, to ensure that they are able to build networks globally; they should be able to focus their minds on solving problems rather than just looking for employment, and that they are able to maintain integrity in everything they do.

“And more importantly, even if they leave Nigeria, they remain connected to their country, because east or west, home is the best. I want to admonish them to ensure that whatever they do in life, they never forget their origin, their origin in terms of their country, their origin in terms of their school, Chrisland University that trained them, and so on and so forth.”

Salako maintained that graduates would be better positioned to navigate the changing world if they combined their academic qualifications with relevant skills, global competitiveness and strong ethical values.

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In her remarks, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oyedunni Arulogun, disclosed that 53 students of the institution graduated with First Class honours among 281 graduates from its regular undergraduate programmes.

The VC added that the institution also graduated 43 students from its Centre for Distance Learning and Executive Programmes, bringing the total number of first-degree graduates to 324.

Reviewing the institution’s achievements during the 2025/2026 academic session, Arulogun said all 23 academic programmes presented for accreditation were successful.

She added that the university’s College of Law secured accreditation from the Council of Legal Education, with its approved admission quota increased from 50 to 70 students.

The VC concluded by urging graduates to remain worthy ambassadors of the institution, contribute meaningfully to society and maintain ties with their alma mater, while encouraging members of the university community to remain committed to their responsibilities and trust that honest efforts would be rewarded.

Meanwhile, the Chancellor and founder of the university, Dr Winifred Awosika, urged graduates to uphold integrity, discipline and academic excellence as they begin the next phase of their lives.

Delivering the valedictory speech, the Best Graduating Student with a CGPA of 4.92/5.00, Abisola Okusanya of the Nursing Science Department, congratulated her colleagues on their academic feats, appreciating their parents, academic and non-academic staff for supporting their dreams.