The Alumni Association of Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Ikeji Arakeji, has urged students at all levels not to wait till after their academic career to become an entrepreneur.
The President of the association, Mr Ayodele Olasanmi, who gave this advice, during the sixth edition of the think entrepreneurship 2019 conference organized on JABU campus by the university management, urged the students to
embrace entrepreneurship for the sustainable growth of the nation’s economy.
Olasanmi who explained that JABU remains one of the institution in the country that gives priority to entrepreneurial studies which is
compulsory for all students of the school irrespective of the student’s field of study.
He said this is in a bid to make the students productive and contribute significantly toward national socio-economic and human development.
“The university ensures that our students are job creators and not job seekers so that they can proffer solutions to the manifold problems of unemployment ravaging the country.”
Speaking on the conference, he explained that also gathers the old students of the institution and young business moguls who are successful in their various endeavours to educate and mentor the students on entrepreneurial skills.
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“We also reach out to our graduates who are doing well in entrepreneurship to come and share their experiences with the students so that when they graduate they can stand on their own, and contribute positively to the growth of the country.”
Some of the alumni set up entrepreneurship outfits on campus such as Roasti-foods restaurant, Quench-Us Juice bar, Ayo Imagery Studios, FourteenO5 Café, Babanyaro Suya, Daras chicken, Abbeys Spot, Enukami Drycleaning.
The Alumni President disclosed that the university tackled the problem of finance by teaching them how to write a business plan in 300L and submit their business plans to the Department of Entrepreneurship.
“Once that is submitted, the university analyzed them and sponsor viable proposals. Two years ago, we gave out grants to graduate students, they were called back and empowered financially.
“The university also connects them to other financial institutions like BoI, SMEDAN, CBN just to mention few to ensure that they get grants for their businesses,” he said.
Speaking, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kola Sonaike, said that the conference “was brought to fore to ensure that JABU remains the frontier in the drive for sustainable development and growth of our nation’s economy.
“JABU, in her 14 years of existence have churned out 6, 042 graduates who have been given the mandate to serve as the vanguard in the war against societal ills and socio-cultural vices.
“As fore-runners in entrepreneurship development, JABU constantly gives her students the capacity for self-employment, self-reliance and self-sustenance by moulding her students to be job-creators; not job seekers.”
Sonaike also said that “graduates of this university are doing well in the area of entrepreneurship; many of which have put to good use the skills acquired while they were in school.”
“With the emergence of technology in e-commerce as well as other sectors, the growth of a nation’s economy is quite assured; thus; parameters must be in place to ensure that the needful is done.
“It is also important that drivers of our nation’s economy should not be left out. Government, as well as, relevant agencies must form a coalition to spearhead the desired change needed to make our country great.”
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