ourchoice:
Yeah, but then every problem creates an opportunity for great minds.

I remember one Indian guy who graduated from MIIT where he went to study mechanical engineering; automotive major.

This guy didn't stay back in United States after his graduation like many Nigerian youths would do, what did he do?

He left US back to his remote community in Southern India to do what you may ask?

In his village, they didn't have government electricity but they farm.

He used the waste materials produced by his local village farmers to design a steam engine plant that converts the waste to hot steam, and he used to steam to drive/propel a locally manufactured electricity generator with very large coil that ended up producing over 300kva electricity.

This guy designed 3 of this local steam plant in his community and started giving them constant electricity, and charged the villagers some money as electricity bill.

You need to see his local office, lol

He then hired more village boys as his staff, who helped him to maintain the plants, and also hired two ladies as bill collectors.

He didn't wait for his government, he gave his people rare solution to their problem and charged them.

This happened in 2002/03.

Later, when government wanted to electrify the community, they had no option than to partner with his existing electricity power company, and now he owns a big power generation company, expanding into other communities.

But if it were a Nigerian youth, he will never do that! It's degrading to his title: A GRADUATE!!! He will rather spend his entire life planning how to get job at Chevron, Mobil, Agip, Schlumberger, etc

I am sorry to say that we Nigerian youths aren't inventive enough...if we are, we won't need government in most things, but government will be forced to work and partner with us

oneolajire:



U got it. The Nigerian govt must train students abroad and must be ready to give good wage and provide well equipped labs and workshops that can function like the foreign ones. Knowledge is being wasted when these two important factors are missing, and that is why most graduates stay back overseas. These two factors are also responsible for brain drain.

MULLAH123:

Nice contribution. Please give me a link or name to read about the guy. Am inspired.

MULLAH123:

Nice contribution. Please give me a link or name to read about the guy. Am inspired.

ITSaWRAPPP:
Entrepreneurship is not only about invention but creating opportunities for yourself, taking risks and managing your time for no one but yourself. I do not invent how to make suits or other corporate wears but I run a fashion outlet. Not been an inventor does not disqualify me even though I strive to strategically add my creative ability to give my brand a unique identity.

Not all inventors are entrepreneurs and not all entrepreneurs are inventors.

sunny442:

I quote you because you sound like you have a different view from that of the op. I tell you the fact that you are into sale of fashion items does not make you standout when compared with your counterparts overseas. Besides you are one out of many who also have better concept than you in the same business, but because the cost of borrowing is so high that the business risk becomes so high they can't go into it. I bet that if you are asked where you see your business in the next 10yrs the best you will says is how to grow your shop size and not how to make the suit you sell or creat a different concept that will compete internationally. I tell you until Nigeria start to think seriously about what they can offer to the world in this global village, we will be slaves to the world. Look at entertainment for instance the reason every young man want to join in the industry is because that's the only thing the international community is interested to buy from us aside from the mining of oil, I don't want to call it oil production, because we sell even the oil in its raw state and buy it back. ENTERPRENEURSHI IN NIGERIA IS A SCAM!!!

MULLAH123:

All this na English u dey speak o! thousands have bn written like this before, but what action was taken? My question to you, what have you done on your part?

sunny442:

I quote you because you sound like you have a different view from that of the op. I tell you the fact that you are into sale of fashion items does not make you standout when compared with your counterparts overseas. Besides you are one out of many who also have better concept than you in the same business, but because the cost of borrowing is so high that the business risk becomes so high they can't go into it. I bet that if you are asked where you see your business in the next 10yrs the best you will says is how to grow your shop size and not how to make the suit you sell or creat a different concept that will compete internationally. I tell you until Nigeria start to think seriously about what they can offer to the world in this global village, we will be slaves to the world. Look at entertainment for instance the reason every young man want to join in the industry is because that's the only thing the international community is interested to buy from us aside from the mining of oil, I don't want to call it oil production, because we sell even the oil in its raw state and buy it back. ENTERPRENEURSHI IN NIGERIA IS A SCAM!!!

ITSaWRAPPP:


Though the suits are currently imported, I intend to integrate backward by taking go charge of production and also have the biggest suit factory in West Africa.

The business kicked off last June and the vision was drafted to guide my business decisions.

BTW, I only shared 2 or 3 missions as the first one is strategic and better off undisclosed on here

oneolajire:


Good to hear about your cloth buz, growing it the buz is a good idea. However, I said in my original post that sale of imported good is part of what we call entrepreneurship, and Nigerians are trying to import virtually all goods which is killing our local production capacity.
Your intention to have the largest suit factory in West Africa is a good one cos we'll have well known designer in Nig.

However, you made use of two words 'backward integration'. The words are used in enginerreing economics. It refers to making of a finished product from raw materials without any external assistance. What Nig needs is not just people to sew cloths, Nig needs factories that will process cotton to clothes. Nig needs to make cotton-to-cloth processing machines that will produce cloths that will compete with the foreign ones. That is the explaination of backward integration as touching garment making and that is what Nig needs to provide jobs for her people/graduates.

femu:
OP fact is that the government has not even invested sufficiently in vocational training.

All the government has done in the past is purchase okada and keke napep... nothing concrete on vocational training

How many skilled artisans do we have in Nigeria? Even in the construction industry foreign skilled labourer are sought after.

Majority of the male youths prefer to drive okada or embark on a voyage to the Western world.

globally Innovation is all about taking risks, if necessary becoming an outcast for a while e. t. c

How many Nigerians that went to ivy league schools abroad have become innovators even in America?

Do you think our culture and social life is suited for innovation?

Are you ready to risk all your life savings on an idea?

Setaje:
You have written well. When a graduate take to jobs that are ordinarily done by school set holders, and illiterate. You can see something is totally wrong. We are not thinking. We cannot invent. We cannot reason or do anything. Everybody wants to open shop and buy and sell, you want to be a photographer, another one is into make up and baking. Those are jobs you do to keep body and soul. That is not entrepreneurship. Graduates are not thinking anymore.

tpiah11:
the misconception is from the erroneous impression people rise out of poverty without the assistance of money.

ourchoice:
I watched the documentary on CNN in 2003...I was so inspired too the day I watched it.

And a lot of Indians do similar thing....search on google, u will find similar stories too.

oneolajire:


The Indians are doing exploits in terms of encouraging innovations as well as setting up of engineering based businesses. As of now, the Indians are considered to to expatrates when they are working in Nigeria. There engineering products are world class products.

Acidosis:
That's why I keep saying the government should shut down all Engineering faculties in Nigeria for redundancy.

Acidosis:
That's why I keep saying the government should shut down all Engineering faculties in Nigeria for redundancy.

ourchoice:
Yeah, but then every problem creates an opportunity for great minds.

I remember one Indian guy who graduated from MIIT where he went to study mechanical engineering; automotive major.

This guy didn't stay back in United States after his graduation like many Nigerian youths would do, what did he do?

He left US back to his remote community in Southern India to do what you may ask?

In his village, they didn't have government electricity but they farm.

He used the waste materials produced by his local village farmers to design a steam engine plant that converts the waste to hot steam, and he used to steam to drive/propel a locally manufactured electricity generator with very large coil that ended up producing over 300kva electricity.

This guy designed 3 of this local steam plant in his community and started giving them constant electricity, and charged the villagers some money as electricity bill.

You need to see his local office, lol

He then hired more village boys as his staff, who helped him to maintain the plants, and also hired two ladies as bill collectors.

He didn't wait for his government, he gave his people rare solution to their problem and charged them.

This happened in 2002/03.

Later, when government wanted to electrify the community, they had no option than to partner with his existing electricity power company, and now he owns a big power generation company, expanding into other communities.

But if it were a Nigerian youth, he will never do that! It's degrading to his title: A GRADUATE!!! He will rather spend his entire life planning how to get job at Chevron, Mobil, Agip, Schlumberger, etc

I am sorry to say that we Nigerian youths aren't inventive enough...if we are, we won't need government in most things, but government will be forced to work and partner with us

oneolajire:


the solution is not to shut down the engineering faculties universities and polytechniques, but to equip them and raisethem to world standard. Not just the engineering faculty, but all the faculties on our campuses so that we'll have job creating graduates.