The demand for higher education among young people has resulted in the huge
number of candidates seeking enrollment into higher institutions of learning in
Nigeria. The population has consistently increased without a corresponding expansion
in educational infrastructure and adjustment in curriculum. Drawing from Amartya
Sen’s theory of capabilities and functioning, this paper argues that the population of
young people with tertiary education represents a cohort whose capabilities and
functioning are at variance with local development needs. The paper further expands
the argument by asserting that tertiary educational curriculum, in its current state, is
shallow and is a major contributor to the poor state of enrollment for tertiary
education and the poor state of youth unemployment in the country. It recommends a
re-structuring of the tertiary education system and adjustment to curriculum to meet
local industrial demand.