The Group Managing Director of Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), Dr Raymond Asemakaha, has urged students in the state to acquire practical skills instead of relying only on certificates, warning that over 1.7 million people in Benue are unemployed.
Asemakaha gave the advice on Tuesday during the Students Turning Point programme organised by BIPC for students of Moses Orshio Adasu University, MOAUM, formerly Benue State University (BSU). The event was held at the College of Health Sciences in Makurdi.
Speaking at the programme, the BIPC boss said the growing unemployment in the state was closely linked to a shortage of skilled workers, stressing that many industries were unable to find qualified hands locally.
According to him, more than 1.7 million people in the state are currently unemployed and lack the practical skills required in many sectors.
He further revealed that over 40 per cent of jobs available in the state are being taken by people from outside Benue because companies cannot find workers with the needed skills within the state.
Asemakaha explained that when he assumed office as the head of BIPC, he noticed a significant gap between academic qualifications and practical competence required in industries being developed by the company.
“I encourage you to be creative. When I assumed office as GMD BIPC, I discovered that there is a knowledge gap in terms of skill, and all the industries we are building do not have the desired skill,” he said.
He noted that many of the workers currently employed in the company’s factories and projects were hired from outside the state due to the lack of skilled manpower locally.
“Most of them we hire were from outside. We want our people to begin to plug into the business and skill space so that they would be able to take up those jobs,” he added.
Asemakaha also raised concerns about the rising number of graduates entering the labour market each year without clear employment opportunities.
“We understand that this institution, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, enrolment of new students for this year is about 8,100. Now, if they graduate, where do they go to?” he asked.
He stressed that while education remains important, students must understand that practical abilities are becoming increasingly valuable in the modern economy.
“Education is okay and getting a certificate is also ok but skill is the future currency. And you must position yourselves for this currency,” he said.
Highlighting the cost of relying on foreign expertise, Asemakaha revealed that some technical roles are currently handled by expatriates.
“We have factories, and those who work there are from outside. We are paying a Chinese person 250 dollars every day. Imagine if our indigene has that knowledge, he will transfer it back,” he said.
