Flashback:Lagos’ Quest To Raise Young Entrepreneurs ..
Master
Adeola Shobowale, 18, a student of Government Technical College,
Agidingbi, came to the NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja in Lagos, southwest
Nigeria, a confused young man. He has just graduated from the college
and came to the NECA House for the Enterprise Day aimed at sensitising
and building young entrepreneurs. The reality of facing the unemployment
market was staring him in the face, so he was confused. He has bright
ideas of what he wants to do to earn a living after leaving the college,
but the fund to start up his dream project seems elusive.
His
heart soared when the State Government announced that all students who
graduated from technical colleges in the state would be given a take-off
loan to start their own businesses. The Lagos State Micro-Finance
Institution, LASMI, is the institution to grant this single digit loan,
meaning no interest would be paid on the loan.
Cross
Sections of the Participants at the Enterprise Day of Lagos State
Technical and Vocational Education Board, at NECA House, Alausa,
Ikeja….yesterday 23-07-14
According to him: “I
came to the enterprise day confused, but I have hope now. My plan is to
be an entrepreneur of global brand. This forum has equipped me with the
necessary tips to realise my long-term dream.” He had completed his
programme in electrical installation and engineering. Also, he had
undergone training organised by FATE Foundation, which he said, had
helped to master the procedure of writing a business plan. Now, he said,
the next stage is to start building his business and keep developing
capacity in his area of specialisation, which he said, would rank among
the best in the next five years.
Shobowale is one of
the students whose dream was brought to reality after attending the
Enterprise Day. The Enterprise Day is an annual event aimed at promoting
networking of successful entrepreneurs with young aspiring
entrepreneurs from the technical colleges in a one-day open interactive
forum. The enterprise day was organised by the Lagos State Technical and
Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) under the leadership of Mr.
Olawumi Gasper. The programme is designed to develop a new generation of
entrepreneurs.
At the NECA Building Auditorium on 23
July, 2014, successful entrepreneurs were invited to speak to the
students and lift their spirit. The hall was filled to capacity with
graduating students of the five technical colleges in Lagos. Over 1,000
students thronged the hall as they eagerly awaited the kick-off of the
programme, which is the second in the series. Apparently, most of the
students came in search of antidotes to Nigeria’s socio-economic
realities, which often cripple businesses and undermine dreams of
potential entrepreneurs.
•L-R:
International Motivational Speaker, Prof. Connel McBride Snr; Lagos
State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye; and the
Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire at the event
The
theme of this year’s Enterprise Day was Technical and Vocational Skills
as a Gateway for Enterprise Development. The theme was apt in the sense
that acquiring technical and vocational skills is the way to becoming
self-reliant and creating jobs in an economy where ‘white collar’ jobs
are becoming a scarce commodity, with the attendant effect of a bloated
unemployment market.
Eventually, the graduating
students left the NECA House, with renewed vision and vigour after the
guest speakers which included the President of McBride Research
Laboratories, Mr. Cornell McBride; Chief Executive Officer of Ruff ‘n’
Tumble, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi and Founding Partner of Red Media Africa,
Mr. Adebola Williams, among others, shared their experience of rejection
and success.
In their messages, all the guest
speakers, mainly McBride, Ogunlesi and Williams, understood why they
wanted business empires of their own at the inception, but were
confronted with the stark realities of how to get it done. For McBride,
it was an urgent need to break from the past and the passion to venture
into what would add value to humanity that brought him into
entrepreneurship.
•L-R:
Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Special Adviser to the
Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mr. Seye Oladejo; and Managing
Director, Ruff and Tumble Limited, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi, at the event.
McBride,
an American entrepreneur, reeled out some elements, which he said, were
critical to the success of entrepreneurs irrespective of the
environment and location they found themselves. He, first, told them the
place of conviction, without which he said, it might be difficult to
realise their goals and vision.
He pointed out the
tenacity to their purpose and vision, which he acknowledged as the basis
for building their own business empires. Citing his own example,
McBride explained that he knew why he wanted to build a business empire
that would outlive him. But he said he did not know how to do it.
He
acknowledged that he suffered a lot of disruption along the way and
that in spite of what he went through, he did not resign to fate, but
that his vision kept on driving him until he realised his ambition.
McBride emphasised the need for humility, saying this was what helped
him in business and in life.
“I had to do all kinds of
odd jobs to make money. And I was proud of doing those odd jobs, even
though I went into the US Army when I relocated to the New York at 24. I
later went to College in order to hone my entrepreneurial skill. I am
simply a product of humility.”
•L-R:
International Motivational Speaker, Prof. Connel McBride Snr; Lagos
State Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye; Speaker, Mr.
Paul Orhijiaka; Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire;
Managing Director, Ruff and Tumble Limited, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi; and
Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mr. Seye
Oladejo at the event.
Speaking, Ogunlesi said
that one other critical element, which she described as the cornerstone
of every successful business was humility, urging the students that if
they must build viable business empires, they must imbibe the spirit of
professionalism that would required them to set rules and standards that
guide the conduct of their business transaction.
Ogunlesi
told the story of her life, saying she was indifference her academic
pursuit. She said even though she gained admission to undertake law
programme at Ahmadu Bello University, Congo Campus, she only managed to
spend two weeks on the programme.
Her reasons for
quitting, she said, was not because she could not cope with the rigour
of academic pursuit, but that she was pursuing what she had passion for
rather than mere academic honours, adding that her passion gave birth to
Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, now branded an indigenous firm with global appeal.
According to her, the fact that she chose not to pursue her law degree
did not make her illiterate.
Ogunlesi advised the
graduating students to take advantage of the incentive which the state
government had given to help realise their dreams and visions.
Also,
Adebola Williams, founding Partner of Red Media Africa encouraged the
graduating students to rise up and position themselves as the country’s
solution providers rather than liabilities. He said they did not have an
excuse not to succeed, citing the right platform and support that the
state government has been giving through LASTVEB.
LASTVEB
Executive Secretary, Gasper explained the state’s drive of raising a
new crop of entrepreneurs, saying that the Enterprise Day was designed
to sensitise students of the state’s technical colleges on the need for
competence-based education, adding that in the last five years, the
technical colleges in the state have already imbibed the entrepreneurial
culture as embedded in the curriculum of the technical colleges, adding
that vocational skills are sufficiently infused with entrepreneurial
elements that have harnessed the power of entrepreneurial competence.
Gasper
noted that in the past emphasis was placed on knowledge, skills,
qualities, attitude, innovation and creativity among students of the
technical colleges in the state, thereby preparing them to become
self-reliant and competitive in the new dynamic and globalized world. He
added that the state’s entrepreneurship development project of the
technical colleges alongside the chosen trade of the students “have no
doubt contributed to job creation and acquisition of necessary skills by
the graduates towards self-employment. It is noteworthy that the
private sector has been in support.”
He said the
private sector had really supported the government “to produce
high-quality competence with entrepreneurial and technical skills for
economic growth, well being of society and creation of long term wealth
for individuals. In training them, the spirit of entrepreneurship is
continuously being infused into learning, enabling trainees to seek
entrepreneurial opportunities leading to success.”
Speaking,
Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the Deputy Governor,
Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire said the government is not only developing
the entrepreneurial capacity of the technical students, saying that the
state government had put in place an arrangement for any graduate of its
technical colleges “to access takeoff credit facility.”
The
governor said the loans “will be given to the students at single-digit
interest rate. Aside, the students are not expected to provide any
collateral except that they are not from any of the government owned
colleges of education. That is one of the reasons for the establishment
of Lagos State Micro Finance Institution (LASMI).”
“The
take-off loan from the graduates of the state’s technical colleges will
be processed through the LASMI while forms will be provided for the
intended students at their various institutions to enable them apply. We
have chosen to champion vocational and technical education because it
focuses specifically on providing relevant skills while preparing them
to be better positioned to develop new enterprises.
“We
have not departed from the position that technical and vocational
education presents a complementary approach to general education. Our
students are given the right opportunity to explore and identify
potential career goals and are provided with the resources needed to
achieve goals through technical partnership with industry stakeholders,”
he added.
Commissioner for Education, Olayinka
Oladunjoye said “following the success of the first edition, the second
edition is designed to celebrate legacies of successful entrepreneurs
while also promoting immense opportunities in youth-led businesses and
other entrepreneurial pursuits.”
According to Miss.
Mariam Sunday, who graduated from Government Technical College, Epe in
Computer Craft, she had been renewed after listening to various speakers
at the event, while dreaming of becoming a great entrepreneur in the
future.
pm news.
