The curriculum serves as the major master plan for defining the quality of education, graduate competency, and ultimately employability. However, Nigerian higher learning faces a crucial test due to the presence of outdated curricula that miss-target the emerging demands of the 21st-century global economy and national labor market. This essay argues that such misalignment with content that is theory-intensive, industry-relevance-lacking, and deficient in practice and soft skills training is a major contributory factor to the high rate of graduate unemployment and underemployment in Nigeria. Against the backdrop of global trends in higher education aligning with competency-based education, digital fluency, and innovation, this study examines the Nigerian endemic gaps. It explores African regional initiative as a model to be emulated for reform. The article emphasizes the need for a systemic overhaul of the curriculum to address the skills gap and enhance career readiness. Key recommendations support a multi-stakeholder approach: the National Universities Commission (NUC) must drive policy processes that promote flexibility and innovativeness; universities must institutionalize periodic curriculum review regularly in conjunction with industry employers; and teaching staff must be continuously capacity built to deliver revitalized, practice-oriented content. Ultimately, this paper contends that restructuring the curriculum through strategic and collective efforts is not merely an educational imperative but a critical key to Nigeria's transformation of higher education as a driving force for national development, economic growth, and global competitiveness.
Higher Education; Curriculum; Reform; Career; Nigerian.
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