The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Students’ Union Affairs – Tertiary Education, has marked this year’s International Students’ Day with a charge for students to embrace entrepreneurship for them to be relevant in today’s world.
With the theme: ‘Empowering students as agents of innovation and change,’ the event had in attendance students and student leaders from tertiary institutions from across the state.
Speaking on the occasion, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Students’ Union Affairs, Hon. Kappo Olawale Samuel, said International Students’ Day was historic and that it marked the struggle of students for better welfare.
‘This is a day celebrated globally to recognise students and the need to prepare them for the future.
We know that the society is changing rapidly and there is need for our youths to be ready for what would make them be able to compete globally. We brought Prof. Olufemi Obayori to deliver a lecture on entrepreneurship.
‘For the participants to take maximum advantage of the occasion, we brought some aides of the governor such as the SSA on Wealth Creation, SSA on Technical Education and others to also let the students know how they can benefit from the various programmes of the Lagos State government. These programmes are to make our students future ready. Moreover, they don’t need to wait until they graduate before they begin to start out as entrepreneurs,’ he said.
Olawale commended students and their leaders from within the state for their enthusiasm to learn from the resource persons brought to the event.
The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Adeniran Kasali, said the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is ready to make youths in the state fully prepared for the future and is pursuing a number of programmes and policies to make that happen.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Scholarship Board, Hon. Adaranijo Rasheedat, said the Board would not relent efforts at supporting students to make learning easier for them.
The Head of the Student Support Department of the ministry, Mrs Ibidapo-Obe Olubunmi, said the future is not abstract, as it is being shaped, refined and defined by actions being taken today.
The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, represented by the Dean of Students Affairs, Dr Abatan Fatai, urged the students to see the need to prepare for the future.
Obayori who spoke on social entrepreneurship, said it was different from neoliberal entrepreneurship that focuses on rapacious acquisition of wealth.
He added that social entrepreneurship is rooted on social responsibility, solidarity and collective well being and urged students to go for it.