05 January 2015
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olusola Oyewole, has expressed his displeasure over the increasing rate of unemployment of graduates from the nation’s tertiary institutions. Professor Oyewole made this known during the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s 2-Day Capacity Building Workshop on “Entrepreneurship Education and Training for Entrepreneurship Lecturers in Public Tertiary Institutions”, held in the University. The Vice-Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Professor Kolawole Salako, said the increasing rate of unemployment among graduates had led to insecurity and decrease in the standard of living of the citizenry. He, however, thanked the Federal Government for the introduction of entrepreneurial training and studies into the curriculum of Nigerian Universities, which he noted, was an innovation that would in a way, empower the youths, increase economic growth and enhance the standard of living of the people. The Vice-Chancellor also appreciated TETFund for ensuring that theories that were imparted into the students became transformed into practical experience, through the series of capacity-building programmes put in place.
Delivering his opening remarks, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of TETFund, Dr. Musa Babayo, who is also the Talban Katagum, was represented at the occasion by Mr. Segun Jeboda, the South-West Co-ordinator for the workshop, noted that the Capacity Building Workshop was aimed at promoting the importance of entrepreneurship among students by empowering them to become innovative and creative thinkers in business. Dr. Babayo also stressed the need for the introduction of entrepreneurship studies into the curriculum of Nigerian tertiary institutions, with the hope of changing the focus and quality of graduates. This, according to him, would help prepare the nation for the future in line with the global trend of placing entrepreneurship as a major component of economic growth.
The Executive Secretary of TETFund, Professor Suleiman Bogoro, in his welcome address, re-iterated that the theme of the workshop: “Strengthening the Delivery of Entrepreneurship Education of Lecturers in Public Tertiary Institution”, was designed to strengthen the delivery of entrepreneurship and training in public tertiary institutions with set objectives. Speaking through Mr. Mohammed Nasiri, from the TETFund’s ICT Department, Professor Bogoro, said that entrepreneurship had increasingly become important towards the acceleration of economic growth in addition to being one of the criteria used in the ranking of Universities, globally. The Executive Secretary re-affirmed the Fund’s determination to continue to support and strengthen entrepreneurship education in tertiary institutions across the country, as the sum of N100 million had been approved by the Federal Government in 2011 for the establishment of entrepreneurship centres in each federal and state Universities throughout the nation.
The Director, Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS), Professor Olufemi Onifade, was represented at the occasion by Dr. Olufunmilayo Oluwalana, Skill Leader, Apiculture and Soft Skill of the Agricultural Media Resource and Extension Centre (AMREC).
