The Chief Executive Officer, Gosima Group, Dr Gideon Osi, has called on government at all levels to make entrepreneurial studies compulsory in academic curriculum of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
Osi made the call on Saturday at the investiture ceremony into the Governing Council of the board of Havilla University in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Osi was inducted into the council of Havilla University, Cross River State, by its founder and chancellor, Mr Jones Tangban.
Osi said that making entrepreneurship studies a compulsory component of all courses of studies in tertiary institutions would inspire undergraduates to seek to become creators and not seekers of job on graduation from school.
According to him, government alone cannot create jobs for teeming Nigerian youths. They need to become self-reliant by acquiring entrepreneurial skills that are relevant to their course of study while still in school.
“Entrepreneurship is one of the fundamental support base of every society that will succeed, so we must build a institutions that will have an entrepreneur mindset in students from the day of resumption.
“Every students should understand that what they are studying have an entrepreneurial components. So, if you are reading any course, you must ask yourself what is your place in the market place .
“From the beginning, students should be aligned with mentors they can link up with, so that during holidays they do not just go home to waste time on their phones and social media.
“So when they go home they link up with their mentors and they spend holidays with companies so they will prepare their minds on their place in the labour market and what they want to become.
“So, we imbibe in them attributes of entrepreneurs, the ability to take calculated risk, ability to make sacrifices, ability to build something from nothing.
“University must have a council that will ensure this is carried out so that at the end of the day we will have graduates that create jobs and not job seekers,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to the leadership of Havilla University for considering him worthy to serve in its Governing Council.
He pledged to use his wealth of experience as a seasoned entrepreneur and a leader as contributions to repositioning the institution as a council member.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Havilla University, Prof Adewale Banjo, congratulated Osi as the a new member of council.
He said he was happy and willing to work with members of the governing council in building the university.
“Based on your antecedents, you have shown competence and character.
So, we strongly believe that your wealth of experience and character will be significantly felt in Havilla University,” he said. (NAN)
