Getting Nigerian Students To Be Employed

Wed, Nov 18, 2015
By publisher
3 MIN READ

BREAKING NEWS, Business

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The Nigeria’s Institute of Entrepreneurs has started a week-long entrepreneurship programme aimed at encouraging students of tertiary institutions to develop skills to help engage in their own businesses

By Adaku Onyenucheya  |

IN furtherance of its efforts to support and strengthen entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs’ development at all levels of human life, the Institute of Entrepreneurs, Nigeria, IOE, started its global entrepreneurship week on Monday, November 16.

Folu Olagunju, director, Membership and Marketing of the IOE, representing Rotimi Oladele, executive secretary, at the workshop tagged: “Unleashing your potentials”, which was held at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, NIJ, said for any economy to grow and also be sustainable, its human capital development agencies must go the extra mile. He emphasised that breeding entrepreneurs and not just jobbers, was essential ingredients help students from limiting to their professions.

“The school of today must add to its values, the empowerment of job creation by diversified professionalism, there are lots of  prestigious businesses that one can venture that can fetch more profit than government jobs.

“Students should think of what to do, what they have flair for, imbibe good habits and know how to create job opportunities for themselves, and not relying on white collar job,” Olagunju said.

She said creative talents were critical factors of enterprises in which many youths could survive in anywhere in the world. The director of the IOE added that the era of succeeding in an economy with white collar job was over.

In an interview with Realnews magazine, Olagunju said the advent of entrepreneurship course in tertiary institutions would to create business awareness in students, so that they wouldn’t have to rely only on government jobs.

Students at the exhibition“It is because of this unemployment rate that is why the government said every tertiary institution must offer entrepreneurship courses. Before you know it they will take it to every secondary school.

“Students must go through entrepreneurship theory, do the practical aspect and lay their hands on businesses which they can do, either jointly or individually, so that when they pass out of school, they can establish a business of their own so as to take care of their needs instead of waiting for government,” she said.

On the issue of youths’ agitation for the N5,00 stipend promised by the government, Olagunju said an average youth spent more than N5,000 a week and should not rely so much on the money, but rather lay their hands on what they could do to fetch them money.

“You must have the willingness to do business, think of what you can do effortlessly on your own, what natural endowment God has given to you that you can use. Your personal willingness, interest, endowment and environment will dictate to you what type of business you can venture into,” she told Realnews.

The workshop had in attendance, deputy provost, heads of department, students of the NIJ, members of the IOE as well as students of institution, some who had their entrepreneurship works exhibited.

The IOE is a national non-governmental professional body set up to advocate, support and strengthen entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs’ development. It is strategically dedicated to deliver up-to date counselling, training, research and technical assistance in all aspects of small business managements.

—  Nov 18, 2015 @ 12:15 GMT

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