‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution Will Not Wait’ — Uzodimma Charges Technology Universities

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has called for far-reaching reforms across Nigeria’s universities of technology, warning that the country risks being left behind in the rapidly evolving global digital economy if its institutions fail to adapt to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Speaking on Thursday while delivering the 38th Convocation Lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), the governor said technology-driven universities must become the engines of innovation, research and workforce development needed to secure Nigeria’s future competitiveness.

The lecture, titled “Nigerian Universities of Technology Must Lead in the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Jeopardise the Nation’s Future,” focused on the urgent need for educational institutions to reposition themselves in response to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, quantum computing, automation and advanced manufacturing.

Uzodimma noted that Africa and Nigeria failed to maximise opportunities presented by the first three industrial revolutions and warned that repeating the same mistake during the current technological transformation could have severe consequences for future generations.

According to him, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is fundamentally changing the way economies function, creating new industries while rendering others obsolete.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here. It is restructuring economies, dissolving industries, creating new ones and rewriting the basic terms on which nations compete,” Uzodimma said.

“Nigerian universities of technology, of which FUTO is the flagship, must lead in this revolution or we will jeopardise the future of this nation. We either build or we are built upon. We either sit at the table or stay on the menu.”

The Governor argued that Nigeria possesses many of the prerequisites needed to thrive in the technology-driven economy, including a youthful population, abundant talent and growing digital infrastructure. However, he stressed that institutional weaknesses continue to limit the country’s ability to harness these advantages.

Citing findings from the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, Uzodimma said nearly 39 per cent of today’s job skills would become obsolete by 2030, while almost 60 per cent of workers globally would require retraining to remain relevant in the workforce.

He warned that graduates lacking future-oriented skills could find themselves excluded from emerging economic opportunities.

The Governor identified several structural challenges confronting universities of technology, including outdated academic curricula, weak collaboration between industry and academia, poor commercialisation of research outputs, limited entrepreneurship support structures and inadequate partnerships with government and private-sector institutions.

To address these challenges, he proposed an accelerated curriculum review mechanism for technology-related programmes under the supervision of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He also recommended that at least ten per cent of teaching hours in engineering, information technology and computing-related disciplines should be delivered by experienced industry professionals.

According to him, exposing students to real-world technological applications would help bridge the persistent gap between academic learning and industry demands.

On research and innovation, the Governor lamented what he described as a promotion-driven academic culture that prioritises scholarly publications without sufficient emphasis on solving practical developmental problems.

“The dominant research culture in Nigerian universities of technology is oriented toward academic publication for promotion. The difficulty is that the research remains largely disconnected from the commercial and developmental problems the surrounding economy needs solved,” he stated.

He called for the establishment of translational research offices in universities to facilitate patent registration, technology licensing, product development and the commercialisation of research outcomes.

The Governor also recommended the creation of innovation hubs, technology incubation centres, startup accelerators and venture capital support mechanisms to assist students and researchers with commercially viable ideas.

As part of efforts to strengthen innovation within Imo State, Uzodimma announced plans for collaboration between the state government and FUTO to establish a technology park linked to the state’s expanding digital economy ecosystem.

He disclosed that he would direct the Commissioner for Digital Economy and E-Government to begin discussions with the incoming Vice-Chancellor of the university on the structure and implementation of the partnership within the first 90 days of the new administration.

The Governor highlighted several initiatives already undertaken by his administration to position Imo as a technology-driven economy, including the Skill-Up Imo Programme, which he said has trained over 60,000 youths in digital and technology-related skills.

He also referenced the establishment of the Orashi Power Plant and the development of the Imo Digital City project as key components of the state’s broader economic transformation agenda.

Uzodimma used the occasion to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing policies aimed at strengthening technology education, innovation and digital skills development nationwide.

Among the initiatives he praised were the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the Three Million Technical Talent Programme, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and the Federal Government’s N48 billion intervention fund targeted at upgrading engineering and technology infrastructure in tertiary institutions.

The Governor particularly lauded the student loan scheme, describing it as a significant intervention that has expanded access to higher education for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

He further noted that industrial disruptions in universities caused by prolonged strikes had reduced significantly under the current administration, contributing to greater academic stability.

Warning against complacency, Uzodimma said failure to modernise Nigeria’s technology institutions could accelerate brain drain, deepen economic marginalisation and increase social instability.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution will not wait. The window for entry is closing. The cost of standing still rises every month that we do so,” he warned.

The Governor also paid tribute to the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of FUTO, Professor Nnenna Oti, commending her leadership and achievements in attracting strategic partnerships and infrastructure investments to the institution.

He expressed confidence in the incoming Vice-Chancellor, Professor I.N.S. Dozie and challenged the university community to build a globally recognised innovation ecosystem capable of producing world-class graduates, startups and technological breakthroughs.

“When historians of Nigeria look back at the 2020s, they will name a few institutions whose decisions in this decade shaped the country’s path. Let FUTO be on that list,” Uzodimma said.