THE CERTIFICATE IS NOT THE WHOLE STORY
Dear Mr Bolaji Abdullahi,
With due respect, your argument that Mr Taiwo Oyedele lacks the right educational background to manage Nigeria’s economy because he is not an economist raises a fundamental question: Are we judging competence by the certificate a person holds or by the knowledge, experience and proven ability they bring to the job?
Twenty-two years of professional experience at any consulting organisation not to talk of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the world’s leading consulting and professional services firms, including rising to become its first fiscal policy partner and Africa tax leader, is no ordinary achievement. That depth of practical experience in fiscal policy, taxation and public finance deserves serious consideration. It should not be casually dismissed because his academic qualifications do not follow the conventional route you consider appropriate.
EVEN A PhD DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY OUTWEIGH PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
A PhD is an academic achievement worthy of respect. But even a PhD without comparable practical experience does not automatically confer greater competence than decades of relevant professional work.
Academic knowledge and practical experience are complementary, not mutually exclusive. Neither should be used to diminish the other.
A person’s qualifications should be assessed in the context of the responsibilities they are expected to perform. The more relevant question is whether the individual possesses the knowledge, judgement and practical competence required for the job—not whether their degree carries the title we expect.
AND WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG WITH YABATECH?
Since you have brought educational pedigree into this debate, permit me to ask: What exactly is wrong with Yaba College of Technology?
As a YABATECH graduate myself, I can tell you that one of the most valuable lessons we learnt was how to learn, adapt and confidently take on the world.
The education given to us was not merely about obtaining certificates; it was about acquiring the capacity to solve problems, apply knowledge and prove ourselves in the real world. This probably explains why YabaTech graduates, across various disciplines, have produced more Chartered Accountants than graduates of any other higher institution in Nigeria. I stand to be corrected if the evidence suggests otherwise.
A graduate’s institution should not become a weapon for belittling their achievements. Technical and vocational institutions have produced people who have excelled across industries and disciplines. What matters is what graduates do with the foundation their education provides.
MY OWN CAREER PROVES THE POINT
Let me share a personal experience.
I hold diploma and bachelor in Mathematics and Statistics, yet my professional career took me into software engineering rather than either of those disciplines. I built my career by acquiring the knowledge, skills and experience required to deliver results in a different field.
I have also encountered a professor who found it difficult to believe that I had never received formal academic training in accounting, despite my knowledge and consulting experience in accounting. My practical exposure, professional development and the opportunity to learn from distinguished accountants, including Alhaji Akinloye and Mr Ojikutu, helped me develop a working understanding of the discipline.
That experience taught me an important lesson:
Your degree may open a door, but your competence, experience and capacity to keep learning determine how far you can go once you walk through it.
If everyone were restricted to working only in the precise field of their first degree, many of the world’s most capable professionals would never have had the opportunity to excel in other disciplines.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS—BUT COMPETENCE MUST STILL BE TESTED
Of course, I am not suggesting that every experienced accountant is automatically qualified to manage an entire national economy, or that a background in economics is irrelevant.
Managing a country’s economy requires a broad understanding of macroeconomics, monetary and fiscal policy, development, trade, employment and the complex realities of public welfare.
But the question is whether Mr Oyedele possesses the relevant knowledge and professional competence to contribute to those decisions. His 22 years at PwC, particularly his specialisation in fiscal policy and tax, provide a substantial basis for assessing that competence.
The proper test should be the quality of his judgement, the soundness of his policy recommendations and the outcomes of the policies he helps formulate.
Professional experience is not an automatic guarantee of success. Equally, the absence of a particular degree is not automatic proof of incompetence.
CHALLENGE HIS POLICIES, NOT MERELY HIS EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
If you disagree with his position on fuel pricing, subsidies or any other economic policy, by all means, challenge his arguments.
Demonstrate where his assumptions are flawed, where his analysis is inadequate or where his proposals would harm Nigerians. Present credible alternatives that would improve the economy and the living conditions of ordinary citizens.
That is how serious political and economic debate should be conducted.
But to suggest that he lacks the right education simply because he did not follow the conventional academic path of an economist risks confusing a particular qualification with the broader capacity to perform a demanding professional role.
As opposition we have every right—and indeed a duty—to scrutinise the government. But scrutiny is most persuasive when it is based on evidence, sound reasoning and substantive policy disagreements rather than assumptions about what a person can achieve based on their degree.
NIGERIA NEEDS COMPETENCE, NOT CERTIFICATE SNOBBERY
Nigeria needs competent people, not certificate snobbery. It needs sound economic thinking, practical experience, intellectual humility and the willingness to learn from different disciplines.
Mr Abdullahi, you are entitled to question the Minister’s policies. Indeed, that is part of your responsibility as an opposition spokesperson. But when you question his capacity on the grounds of educational background, you must also account for the professional experience he has accumulated over more than two decades.
MY FINAL WORD: YABATECH GRADUATES HAVE NOTHING TO APOLOGISE FOR!
I would rather assess a person by what they know, what they have done, how they think and the results they deliver than by the title printed on their certificate alone.
Education is important. Experience matters. Competence is the ultimate test.
And to my fellow YABATECH graduates: we have nothing to apologise for. Our worth is not determined by the prestige others attach to our institution, but by the value we create, the problems we solve and the contributions we make to society.
Let us debate economic policies on their merits, judge professionals by their competence, and stop pretending that one particular degree is the exclusive passport to excellence.
