How Ogun Poly builds Nigerian economy through entrepreneurship

Students from different departments of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta recently organised an Open Market Day where series of entrepreneurial skills were displayed.

As part of its efforts to develop creative thinking in students, MAPOLY Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies mandates students of the institution to showcase their entrepreneurial skills at an open market provided by the management of the institution, having trained them in both theory and practical in terms of entrepreneurship, investment and business management.

MAPOLY organises an annual Open Market Day where members of the school community and Ogun State at large are invited to shop various products manufactured by students and where entrepreneurial skills are displayed as part of academic practical in manufacturing, trading and marketing as well as services.

At a recent Open Market Day held on campus at Ojere area of Abeokuta in Ogun state, Olusegun Aninkan, director of MAPOLY Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies, said a number of entrepreneurial activities are being incubated from time to time to ensure that right skills are given to students of the institution in such a way that they would all be self- sufficient and economically independent after school.

According to Aninkan, the essence of entrepreneurship studies, as being directed by Federal Government, is not only to increase the gross domestic product, local and foreign earnings on locally-produced goods and services, but also to make graduates of higher institutions across the country self- sufficient and independent, thereby creating employment opportunities and more wealth.

“We are in contact with some agencies like National Incubation Centre. We are also going establish contact with National Research and Development Centre and so many other agencies for effective benefits. Entrepreneurship transcends just acquiring skills. Entrepreneurship is about doing common thing and in an uncommon way,” he said

“On your job, you can be entrepreneurial. That is why we are encouraging our instructors and lecturers that whatever you teach, try to teach towards identifying some business options; it is not just theory. The essence of education is to meet the needs of society and that is entrepreneurship.

“Because there is a gap between the need of community and what we teach in class, then the problem of unemployment is now expanded. In order to close this gap, entrepreneurship stands in.”

When Aninkan was asked about entrepreneur’s inability to get access to finance, he noted that finance is not the first in entrepreneurship.

“Finance is a good factor but cannot be a hindrance. Any organisation that will finance your project wants to know what you are doing. They want to see your seriousness; they want to see your proposals and visibility study,” he further said.

“So, finance is not the first thing. You first of all identify what you want to do, the market and your source of raw materials even if it is services,” he concluded.

Oludele Itiola, professor and rector, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, said the high level of unemployment in the country could be greatly reduced if government, starting from Federal, State and Local Governments, could provide funds in the form of start-up loans for graduates of higher institutions across the country, including MAPOLY students and graduates.

According to Itiola, the rising level of unemployment in the country may be attributed to dearth of expertise and entrepreneurial skills, saying that if government at various levels can offer credit support to identified entrepreneurial jobless Nigerians, the problem of unemployment could be adequately and effectively tackled.

“Government can support us with funds, and one thing I believe in and which I have been calling on government at all levels to do, is that when these students graduate, they will need start-up loans to start their ideas and develop it. So, we are calling on government and multinational companies to assist our students by giving them start- up loans.”

“This is Open Market Day and of course you can see the enthusiasm, the varieties of things on show. It shows what we have been engaging ourselves in here. We don’t just want our students to graduate from their different departments alone, but we also want them to be self-employed even after graduation, since it is not everybody that will be employed by the government.

“So, we want to give them that opportunity to have an option so that they can go into such options if they want. Even while you are being employed by someone, you can as well be an

entrepreneur and that is what we are trying to develop in our students. We want to set up an Occupation Centre where we can be fully engaged in the entrepreneurship activities,” he said.

RAZAQ AYINLA