Integrating Traditional Occupations into Tertiary Institutions Curricula: A Strategy for Addressing Unemployment and Contemporary Societal Challenges in Nigeria

Societal challenges such as unemployment, cultural erosion, food insecurity, urban migration, and loss of indigenous knowledge have intensified in the 21st century. This paper examine tertiary institutions curricula and the integrating of traditional occupations such as farming, blacksmithing, weaving, fishing, carving, pottery, farming, dyeing, herbal medicine, as a way to address unemployment and societal problems. The objectives of this study were to; study the conceptual basis for harmonization, proposes four models for integration and to analyzes how such approach addresses unemployment, food insecurity, healthare gap social, identity loss, cultural erosion, loss of indigenous craft, rural-urban migration and loss of indigenous knowledge and skill. Nativism theory propounded by William and Laura is adopted for this research. This paper argues that integrating traditional occupations with tertiary institution curriculum is an act of epistemic decolonization and a pragmatic strategy for solving contemporary societal challenges. Findings shows that traditional occupations that was included in national institutions curricula has been replaced with formal education and is causing alot of societal problems among the youth. The paper concludes that curriulum reform grounded in hybridity and self-determination is necessary for tertiary institutions to become engines of locally relevant development.