Universities should be entrepreneurship incubators- Alex Otti

Universities should be entrepreneurship incubators- Alex Otti

By Otobong Gabriel

In the light of the current economic trend, a Nigerian economist and politician, Alex Otti has said  Nigerian universities should be entrepreneurship incubators with a vibrant start-up culture where young people will not only have knowledge of their respective course of study but also forge a relationship and birth ideas that lead to the establishment of businesses.

He said this on Monday in Abuja during the annual gown to town symposium organized by the university of Portharcourt Alumni Association, Abuja Chapter on the theme " Graduate Marketplace, Raediness as a Tool for Economic Growth" saying that Nigerian tertiary institution should go beyond training and releasing graduates without the competencies to  face the real world.

According to him, Nigerian tertiary institutions has failed to produce graduates with the competencies to face the real world, saying many of today's Nigerian graduates who enters and remain in the labour market has failed to find employment in the nation's slow growth economy, universities should be an entrepreneurship incubators with a vibrant start-up culture where young people not only gain knowledge of their respective courses but also forge relationship and birth ideas that leads to establishment of businesses that ultimately create jobs.

He said beyond training and releasing graduates, they should be inculcated the  entrepreneural  mindset to prepare them for the main world where their intellectual capability can indeed guarantee survival and excellence.

He expressed dissatisfaction on government investment on the teachers that are teaching the students,  "how much does the government commit to the academic projects, how often do they assess lecturers and sponsor them on academic development, Lecturers are even owed salaries for months and even years, how will they inspire their students, how are the management and chancellors sell their school, do they do research?". 

He stressed that Nigeria universities has failed us so far, adding that the Nigerian University are being listed in the lower ranking in Africa and the world.

Also, the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Emeritus Professor Nimi Briggs, and others have called on Nigerian universities to produce graduates that will create jobs.

Jonathan who was represented by Dr Stanley Lawson, the ex MD of Apex Bank Group, in his brief remarks said graduates

must be trained to develop their experiences, saying there is a kind gap between learning and research and preparing the product of these universities for the outside world," he said.

On his part, Briggs said universities are expected to produce manpower, research, identify new ways of doing things and impact the environment in which they find themselves.

 “We are reminded that universities are established with great expectations. They are seen as huge assets. It is expected that universities change the environment in which they are in. They are expected to produce manpower, research, identify new ways of doing things, impact the environment in which they find themselves.

“Looking at all these, it is no wonder that universities are currently being challenged to justify their existence. There are ways in which universities can justify their existence. Instead of churning out graduates who end up roaming the streets, we can ensure that graduates are sufficiently endowed. 

Also speaking, the chapter president, UNIPort Alumni association, Abuja, Phil Okoroafor, noted that the association decided to convene the gown-to-town symposium in other to enhance the marketplace readiness of graduates of the institution.

She said, "Our gathering today is our first step in the direction of our relevance to our esteemed alma mater, the University of Port Harcourt. Envisioned as an annual event, the ‘Gown to Town’ symposium is designed as our modest contribution to the efforts towards enhancing the marketplace readiness of graduates of our esteemed alma mater.

“Our objective, as expressed in the simplicity of the name we have given the symposium, is to help bridge the gap between academia and industry through programmes that will promote entrepreneurship and creative thinking among our graduates."