LANRE RASAK URGED FG TO INCLUDE ENTREPRENEURIAL EDUCATION INTO UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM.

Nigerian youths have been urged to leverage on opportunities available for them and carve a niche for themselves as solution provider early in life. This forms the thrust of the third Trek Africa Entrepreneurship Conference (TAEC) 2018 theme, “Spirit of Enterprise” held in the Expo Centre of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) complex. The Chairman of the occasion and elder statesman, Chief Lanre Razak, an astute business mogul harped on the need for youths to grow in self reliance. According to Razak, government in other states of the country should provide take off grants to the tune of N5m to youths, like what obtains in Lagos State through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), to aid entrepreneurial spirit. 

He noted that the chain reaction of this available funds will multiply and increase, giving room for others to benefit and grow economically able individuals in the society. “I admire the activities of young Nigerian entrepreneurs who have been revolutionizing their trade, their success inspires me to advocate for inclusion of vocation into the education system in the country. “I advise that government initiate an entrepreneurship course into the University curriculum to help integrate them into society so as to groom them ahead graduation, so employment won’t be an issue.” He charged unemployed youths to embrace entrepreneurship as the best option in the diversification of the economy.

The Guest Speaker, Mr. Adeniyi Adams, Managing Director, KnightStone Properties Limited, who delivered a lecture at the conference noted that poor employability status of the youth remain the problem, not unemployment. “The youths should take advantage of the situation, the challenge in Nigerian economy should rather be a drive for creativity not an obstruction. “There is no future for Nigeria, If we do not introduce entrepreneurial education into our educational curriculum say  from our secondary school level.

The convener of the (TAEC) initiative, Mr. Oki Samson stated that though various socio-economic indices points the negative, youths should maintain their stance of being self reliant while leveraging on big players information made available. “It is a fact that various economic indices like rate of inflation, unemployment rate, are pointing negative, but we cannot fold our arms and let situation be. “Yet, it is unrealistic to expect the government to provide jobs for every single youth in the country, thus, youths should priorities and learn skills that can take them out of poverty. “TAEC 2018 brings key players in the private sector, policy makers in government circles and experts in finance and economy together to spur enterprising youths and fashion out strategies that will enable the country extend the frontiers of enterprise development,” Samson said.

Grace Ama, a Nollywood ambassador, Debby Larry Izamoje, Ayodeji Finni, Tosin Sanusi, Special Ambassador of ECOWAS Youth Council on Education, Alaba Ayinuola, Ifunaya Mitchell and Chichi were part the  team of panelists.

Photo:L-R: MD/CEO KNIGHTSTONE PROPERTIES LTD AND SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER, MR. ADENIYI ADAMS PRESENTING AWARD TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE OCCASSION AND BALOGUN OF EPE LAND, CHIEF LANRE RASAK, CONVENER, TREK AFRICA ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONFERENCE, OKI SAMSON AT THE EVENT IN LAGOS.