We must focus on graduates that are job creators rather than job seekers — Don

From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

Universities in Nigeria have been advised to focus on producing graduates that are job creators rather than job seekers stressing that some courses needed to be totally overhauled in our current educational system to pave way for entrepreneurial education.

The advice was made Wednesday by John Alabi, a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Corporate Strategy at the Federal University, Lokoja, while delivering the university’s 46th Inaugural Lecture .

Alabi who expressed worry over the alarming rate of graduates unemployment in the country called on government to be intentional and practical in creating vocational and Enterpreneurial courses that can make students self employed after graduation.

He urged both federal and state governments to establish functional entrepreneurship centres linked to industry, commercialise research and innovation, and encourage faculty-industry collaboration.

He also called on governments to position entrepreneurship as a national development strategy and invest in entrepreneurship ecosystems at federal, state and local government levels.

Alabi also proposed a National Entrepreneurial Leadership Policy and a coordinated national framework for entrepreneurial leadership development, with greater collaboration among government, academia, industry and civil society.

He stressed that universities should strengthened entrepreneurship education through internships, incubators, business simulations and enterprise projects.

In his lecture, entitled “Entrepreneurship Leadership through Entrepreneurial Education and Empowerment: Building an Entrepreneurial Economy in a VUCA World,” Alabi said experiential learning would help students develop practical entrepreneurial skills.

He also called for entrepreneurship education across all levels of education, alongside interdisciplinary learning combining entrepreneurship, digital technology, leadership and sustainability.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Gbenga Ibileye, said his administration would continue to support inaugural lectures as part of efforts to sustain academic traditions and provide platforms for academics to showcase their expertise.

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