Jonathan orders undergraduates to offer compulsory course in entrepreneurship
Friday, 17 February 2012 09:00 KELECHI EWUZIE

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday directed that all Nigerian university undergraduates would now be required to offer a compulsory course in entrepreneurship in their degree programmes.

Jonathan gave the directive on the second day of the 2010/2011 convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos.

The two-day ceremony is for the award of first and higher degrees, diplomas, certificates and prizes. The president, who was represented by the minister of Education, Ruquayyatu Rufai, said the move was to ensure that Nigerian graduates were adequately empowered and self-reliant.

He said that the course would also open them to other viable employment opportunities.
“We will not stop at giving our youth quality education. The reforms which are ongoing in other sectors of the economy will also help to create a conducive environment for entrepreneurship to thrive.
“The transformation agenda of this government is to provide access to quality education to the majority of our youth who desired such,” Jonathan said.

He said that Nigeria could only progress as a nation if its youth were gainfully employed or otherwise engaged in other useful purposes.
The president said that already the new job creation scheme, “the Youth Enterprise with Innovation (YOUWIN)”, was set to create at least 100,000 jobs for youths between the ages of 18 years and 35 years in the next four years.

He said that his administration would continue to enhance the education sector, stressing that it was strategic to the overall transformation of the national economy.
The president commended the students and management of the university for sustaining peace in the community.

Jonathan urged the graduands to rise above the limitations of the job market by using the knowledge they had acquired to build their careers and make themselves great citizens.
Earlier, the university’s vice chancellor, Adetokunbo Sofoluwe, said that of the 8,585 graduands, 118 bagged First Class honours.

Giving a breakdown, Sofoluwe said that the First Class graduands spread across all the faculties, with the Faculty of Engineering coming tops with 37, including the overall best.
He said that the School of Postgraduate Studies awarded 73 doctorates in the Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, Law and Pharmacy.

Sofoluwe said that the university had established a structure that would boost postgraduate education, while still running its undergraduate programmes.

http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/111-politics/33295-jonathan-orders-undergraduates-to-offer-compulsory-course-in-entrepreneurship

How does a compulsory course in entrepreneurship help anything? Nigerians are already business minded. Another thing is that education is not the problem, the problem is the lack of jobs. After the education, then what's next? That is the problem.

Chyz*:

How does a compulsory course in entrepreneurship help anything? Nigerians are already business minded. Another thing is that education is not the problem, the problem is the lack of jobs. After the education, then what's next? That is the problem.

The quality of education in Nigeria is below par.

Students leave universities without the ability to think.

Quality of education needs to be tackled.

Something that has been done for like two years now. the man just doesn't get it!

Chyz*:

[size=13pt]How does a compulsory course in entrepreneurship help anything?[/size] Nigerians are already business minded. Another thing is that education is not the problem, the problem is the lack of jobs. After the education, then what's next? That is the problem.

echo!!

Improving our education system and teaching critical thinking in schools has nothing to do with this. We too dey like to twist the untwist-able together in our jaba-jaba ways. How does a compulsory course in entrepreurship help anything? They will still come out lacking the essentials which we are well aware of and ought to handle first and foremost.

Its as if his ideas are cooked up by a monkey? Seriously I find this man embarrasing

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Jonathan Goodluck and all our leaders  should be made to go on compulsory courses in common sense, prudence and leadership by example.

Kobojunkie:

echo!!

Improving our education system and teaching critical thinking in schools has nothing to do with this. We too dey like to twist the untwist-able together in our jaba-jaba ways. How does a compulsory course in entrepreurship help anything? They will still come out lacking the essentials which we are well aware of and ought to handle first and foremost.

same thought.

Let's hope the 'essentials' are taught in this entrepreneuship courses.

Good idea in my view
That knowledge, no matter how we look at it, will not be wasted
And it is better than guys learning how to commit some crime or the other

BTW The "GEJ-is-infallible" group are not complaining now!
4 posts and this makes home page

Nice to here this from Gej, should the courses involve practicals on entreprenueral ideas, then i support it. Most grads today have no single hands-on skill and are only willing to consider high paying jobs even when there is nothing of note to offer. Such a program will be beneficial to most undergrads especially the our public school undergrads.

Sensible. Understanding bizness will help the individual get into the Right One and not just anything all in the name of making Money!!

Unilorin already offer d course, buh datz no replacement 4 job employments.

I graduated in 2006 and did Enterpreneurship Development Programme EDP in my final year; the course was under CEDP then in my school, we had lectures once in a week, did a business plan nd defended d project; it was a full course then. I don't know what GEJ is talking about now or maybe the programme have been stopped.

He should order a compulsory English teacher for patience (Simbi is a Girl, Ali is a boy, Agbo leaves in Onisha).
He should order public speaking lesson teacher and how to think teacher for himself.

The only thing Government can do is to create the enabling environment for people to thrive. Entrepreneurship lesson is not the answer when you battle with electricity, security, transportation, high interest loans etc. People with their natural instinct of entrepreneurship will begin to thrive then at part time they'll go for improvement on that profession.

He is always picking from the last in his thinking

wow!
Impressing. This is the result of a lerdership with foresight.

Chyz*:

How does a compulsory course in entrepreneurship help anything? Nigerians are already business minded. Another thing is that education is not the problem, the problem is the lack of jobs. After the education, then what's next? That is the problem.

the entreprenuer courses will help the graduates ro create jobs. There are no jobs because our graduates are waiting for manner to fall from Heaven. Some of us have been wishing for this to be done. It is a smart move.

Sorry, but you sounded so short circuited.

kulutempa:

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Jonathan Goodluck and all our leaders  should be made to go on compulsory courses in common sense, prudence and leadership by example.  

That our leaders need learship/governance trainings is not a bad idea, but using that as an excuse to down play the wisdom in Mr. Presidents position is worrisome. Throwing away the baby with the water is really a shame.

queensmith:

Its as if his ideas are cooked up by a monkey? Seriously I find this man embarrasing

You have neither pointed the fault with Mr. Presidents directive nor stated your better opinion. I describe proffesional critic as those one who sees fault with every suggestions from others, but those not offer any because he does not have any.

This is old news naw. I had a course on entrepreneurship and corporate governance as far back as 2006 when I was about finishing undergrad in Nigeria. Maybe other institutions are yet to start offering the course. It is a good idea anyway. It should be made compulsory, not the GST or GAS style. This way, students would try to learn and assimilate the material properly.

T22.

what a lot of Nigerians need is an enabling environment and then all the entrepreneurial skills taught in school. Without an environment all the skills will be put to waste

Think not of what Goodluck Jonathan's Govt will do for you after graduation, But think rather what you can do to improve GEJ's govt. after graduation  

@noblezone **Think**

In My Schl Entrepreneurial Studies is part of our curriculum from 100 Level till u grad

The problem in Nigeria is Bad Electricity, Road and Security. For this Entrepreneurial Skills To Survive

The Government should encourage it but should not say lack of it is the cause of our problem

They should provide facilities that encourage people to be self dependent.

fortran12:

what a lot of Nigerians need is an enabling environment and then all the entrepreneurial skills taught in school. Without an environment all the skills will be put to waste

Well Said @fortran12

fortran12:

what a lot of Nigerians need is an enabling environment and then all the entrepreneurial skills taught in school. Without an environment all the skills will be put to waste

u get sense!

It's about time!
http://www.livenigeriapost.com/

Entrepreneurship is far more than subject topic and certificate issuance. It is all about vision and revelation of the mind to go beyond the usual scope of men. Most people will putting for the course to have certificate.

While I support the idea, it's overtime that an average Nigerian  youth realise that the Government cannot 'supply' all of her needs. A vision-driven youth wouldn't wait for GEJ's directive nor the 'ever' failing promises of the government to provide jobs for all.

Having realised the kind of nation we are in, we need to be proactive, develop ourselves, skills, and, be business-centric, yeah! Acquire some vocational skills etc, and move on instead of waiting for so long for Governments created jobs. *winks

#I remember enrolling for a 3-month course on Knitwear design after my BSc. in Computer Science. It was a good add up to my degree giving me options, either to be self employed or run after collar jobs.

Maybe, the Government should concentrate more on improving technical/vocational schools, making them look 'relevant' and not make it always look like last resorts for those who couldn't make it through to varsity.

GEJ is already Dead but not yet Buried.

i think somebody needs to tell him that all we need now is Loan!!!!!!
we have Entrepreneurship Ideas the First time we were born in Nigeria
Give me loan
Forget job, make una work on una own

A leopard cannot change its spots.

Make them go learn handwork. The idea of "l passed my Entrepreneurship course" should nt arise becos sum ppl go SELL HANDOUTS TIRE with this new chop for lecturers table.

kulutempa:

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Jonathan Goodluck and all our leaders  should be made to go on compulsory courses in common sense, prudence and leadership by example.  

kulutempa:

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.  Jonathan Goodluck and all our leaders  should be made to go on compulsory courses in common sense, prudence and leadership by example.  

they will really need those courses, because its obvious they don't have any kowledge

Leave those people, let them continue to run their mouth. Most of them are still looking for employment. If enterpreneur is taught in schools, the undergraduate minds would be developed towards adding value to people's lives and offering services. You cannot expect people to just part with their money when you offer nothing in return. Not everybody is enticed by a girl opening her legs. JEG should make loan available to those students with workable ideas after graduation or even as undergraduates!

Jonathan is only looking for an escape route from the prevailing unemployment in the country. not that we do not have enough entrepreneurs in the land, the fact remains that business survival in hard in the Nigerian economy. those are the challenges to deal with for business survival.

When the economy is accomodating and flourishing, businesses will survive and thrive, otherwise no amount of entrepreneural courses in the university will halp the situation.